We Will Rock You: The Novel
by neeuqfonafamai
Summary: Story 2 in my WWRY Trilogy for Story 1 see 'God Save The Queen' This is my idea of how the WWRY musical might be turned into a novel. Includes 'behind the scenes' information. Makes use of original lyrics and script in some places.
1. Preface

We Will Rock You: The Novel

Based on We Will Roc k You The Musical by Ben Elton

Adapted for reading by Abigail Ann

Preface: We'll Keep On Trying

It was nearly 250 years since GlobalSoft had banned all musical instruments. What had once been a thriving Rock industry, conquering the entire world, had spiralled down into a world of cyber-pop where creativity was illegal.

Struggling against the tide was a small group of rebels. These rebels searched for the Rhapsody. Their numbers had risen and fallen as the company hunted them down. This is the story of the last of these rebels.

Killer Queen hated nature. Throughout her youth it had done nothing but betray her. The world outside her four walls was harsh and ruthless, it brought about sunburn and frozen limbs, alternating in the form that it's power took.

Little did she know that her forefathers were the reason for such a world. Their polluting technology had led to Global Warming. The sun hung there, scorching the world and turning it into a sandless desert. The waves crashed against the land, tearing down the coastline and throwing long-derelict houses into the sea. The wind blew a chill which tore the skin. Stars, which had enthralled the imagination of many civilisations, were invisible against the lights of the complex, the complex which dug away at the very mountains.

One motto haunted Pop. Despite all the difficulties of his past, he would always read the fine line. He had done it before, when he had dared to go against the authorities and find out the truth. For that they had barred him from the world and exiled him to the library. Yet that had not stopped him. Even with his memory wiped, his curiosity was not put out.

Apart from all other humans, his hair had grown long and lanky. His clothes had long ago lost their fashion, now remnants of a time almost before time. The holes in his trousers were no longer there by design. In such a world (and with his mind scrambled) his memory was no longer what it once was.

Still, he had enough left in him to see the truth. The cloud was slowly lifting, but he could only hope that somehow the sun would be seen again.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter One: A Little Silhouetto of a Spy

Pop was on the run. He feared that his arrest with imminent. If his mind was wiped then all he had learnt would be lost forever. He could hardly hope that his luck would hold out once again.

In case he was caught, be decided to record what he knew on his trusty dictaphone. He had found this archaic piece of machinery in the library, covered in dust and forgotten by the world. In his curiosity, and with not much else to fill his loneliness, he had taught himself how to use the old recorder.

He pressed the button and spoke into the microphone, his eyebrows furrowed with worry:  
"Stardate, April 14th 2304.

Although I have yet to discover the exact date on which the music died, it is clear to me that an ancient entertainment phenomenon known as "Pop Idol" played a central role.

Soon, pop stars were being created at such a rate that they were famous for less time than it took to play their records. Culture imploded, the GlobalSoft Corporation seized its opportunity, and the Age of Ga Ga had dawned."

Little did Pop know the full truth of his words. Over the centuries a world where inspiration and creativity were music's buzzwords had been degraded by manufactured acts. At first these wrote their own music, but soon all they could do were covers and the occasional remix.

GlobalSoft saw its opportunity to sell thousands of downloads simply by setting its own trends. Now it dictated the fashions and the sounds that the entire world would kill to buy. As they clambered to get their hearts' desires the Ga Ga Kids began to look to the company to tell them how to run every aspect of their lives. First they expanded to TV, internet and then the world. With Killer Queen at their head, the world was not enough.

Suddenly, bright lights tore through the darkness. The laser beams fell with the speed of electricity. As Pop's eyes darted with panic, it became clear that he was caught up in a cage, a laser cell.

Pop stood, trapped like some sort of animal. His fears were realised, as Khashoggi strode forwards.

Khassoghi's life had begun when Killer Queen had made him Chief of Secret Police. He was good at his job, his ruthless curiosity helping him to seek out every criminal.

His job was so intense that Khashoggi barely remembered his life prior to that moment. All he knew was that he had to stay loyal to Killer Queen, or else.

Khashoggi glared at his catch. He had kept him there for 10 years before giving this final interrogation; no sense in letting him think he was important or anything.

"Oh my, Oh my, oh my. What is this? Do I see a little silhouetto of a spy?" (Khashoggi thought of himself as a bit of a comedian).

It would be an understatement to say that Pop was disappointed by this turn of events.

"Bummer" he muttered to himself.

Undeterred by Pop's statement, Khashoggi continued, "tell me old man, why do you concern yourself so much with the past?"

"Because it is only the past that gives us hope"

"But you have read the secret histories. Surely you have learned that there is no hope?"

"There is always hope"

Khashoggi had read the secret histories as well once. But he knew better than Pop. Despite all he had been through, Pop held out some strange sort of hope that the world would suddenly change in his favour. Khashoggi knew that the only world was GlobalSoft's!

Khashoggi just couldn't understand this. There must be something else that the old man was hiding, something which made him think that the rebels could make a difference. In order to quash them this rumour would have to be destroyed at its source.

Khashoggi was shocked out of his thoughts as Pop's hand brushed across the laser beam, sending electrons shooting through his body, Pop brushed the injury through the air, as if a non-existent wind would cool the pain.

"Hope is our birthright" he continued, as if spurned back into speaking once against

Khashoggi just couldn't believe his nerve. If this continued much longer, Killer Queen would have his head

"Then where is it? Where is this hope?" he screamed.

The shrill sound of the chief didn't seem to faze the old man. He looked up calmly, before making his reply: "Anyway the wind blows"

Khashoggi had had enough of this hippie clap-trap. This was not going to get the better of him!

"What do you know of the term "Living Rock"?" he shrieked, pointing his finger threateningly towards the cage.

"Only that which the legend promises. That salvation is to be found there! At the Place of Champions! And that a bright, bright star will show the way!"

Khashoggi smiled. The smile was supposed to quietly show his confidence and maybe even hint at what he had planned for this enemy of GlobalSoft, but to those who dared to look closely something else would have revealed itself. Deep down inside there was an understanding of this optimism, a longing for the same feeling to be present inside his darkened soul. Concerned that this might be evident on his face, Khashoggi resorted to humour to hide his true feelings.

"God, I hate hippies!" he continued, now more confident, "Consign this miserable creature to The Seven Seas of Rhye."

The Police closed in on Pop, who appeared to be consigned to his fate. The old man simply sat there, a black look on his face, as the enemy approached. It was as if he had gone to another world, his mind was no longer with them.

The laser cell flashed, and it seemed to herald the end of the surprising hero. In truth it was simply a reaction to the electromagnetics of the secret police's suits. The slight vibrations allowed their entry into the cage, carrying a helmet.

If he had been paying attention, Pop would have known what that helmet signified. He had seen it before when his friend's family had been stolen from him (not that this was anything but a faint feeling now). That helmet meant total oblivion and termination from the world.

As the helmet was placed on his head, an electric charge was sent through his nervous system. His body ached as pain became his only feeling. As the torment intensified Pop grabbed the helmet, desperate to make it stop. But it was no good; he knew it was the end. In a last attempt to show his true feelings the rebel screamed…. "Make love not waaaaaaaaaaar!"

And then he was gone. It was over.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter Two: Only Cyberspace is Real

As life ended for Pop, at Virtual High School life was just beginning for the Ga Ga Kids. These smiling beings were looking forward to their summer holidays and their future with the GlobalSoft company.

Their white clothes shimmered under the lights of the centre, almost in sympathy with the gleaming buildings. Their whitened teeth shone, completing the ensemble. And an ensemble it was, dressed so similar as they were. Each outfit was topped off by a square logo of orange and yellow within which were the words 'Ga Ga'. Their identity was clear.

As they sang their school anthem, they joined together in a fury of choreographed actions. The dance was well scripted and organised, each kid knew their place. They sang about their lives, I world in which the internet was queen.

www/ sat alone in her room, starring at the flat screen on her wall. It was her only friend during the long hours of her teenage nights. There she would wallow in self-pity or distract her mind.

When not watching TV, she would use the same screen to fulfil her other needs. This screen was her life, as she downloaded clothes and food from the internet.

Sometimes her friends would buzz her and together they would enter cyberspace. This world often seemed more real than 'real life'. People got married online nowadays, had virtual kids and brought up virtual families. It was great fun, laughter permeated the virtual corridors. Sometimes it made them cry, but this didn't seem to matter because most of the time it made them feel like they could fly.

It was a Global show, led by GlobalSoft. GlobalSoft was the coolest thing around, the world leaders in practically everything. Sammi didn't really realise it but their voice was a blueprint for kids' lives, both on and offline. Without them, and their complete control, the world would be lost, unsure what to do with their time.

Cyberspace was cluttered with ads these days. They had broken, almost imperceptibly, into music and videos. All the kids heard was marketing blah blah, even if they didn't always realise it. There was always something new (or so they thought).

The truth was that things were simply repackaged and re-released. The shows became more and more extreme, finding the predictable new stars and demonstrating their most fantastic lives. They ran across the screen for hours and hours, so predictable that those watching hardly needed to use their eyes and ears. They just logged on and their dreams appeared.

Despite spending most of their time at home in their bedrooms, the kids of Planet Mall were never alone. They had their online friends with whom they could discuss their interests. These friends remembered their birthdays and supported them when things got them down.

It wasn't just friends that they got online, they found love as well. Boyfriends and girlfriends surfed cyberspace, looking for potential matches. Sometimes they began as friends, but often it just skipped to the best bit. Life was too short after all.

If cyberspace ever disappeared then the kids wouldn't know what to do with themselves. They'd miss the control that it brought. They needed their graphics, needed their visuals. That was all part of the power, the Globalshow!

As the kids of Virtual High School finished their song, they knew that term was truly over now. The teacher's words simply confirmed it: "Hey kids, schools out! It's summer time. Get out there and have some fun!"

They didn't need telling twice. As one they replied "that is so cool! Alright!"


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: This existence is wrong

A young man had been watching the proceedings, leaning against one of the school's white-washed pillars. He looked sullen and completely removed from everything that was going on.

As the song finished, he moved towards the steps and challenged the other kids, "hey you!"

They turned and returned the challenged as one, "Yeah! What?"

"You're all clones! Ga Ga sheep!"

"Talk to the hand!"

The leather-clad stranger was clearly annoyed, wound-up tight like a spring even.

"Fools…. Morons…." he screamed, "Don't you understand you're all slaves?"

"Whatever, looser!"

And with that they left, clearly disgusted by the other man's actions.

This man was Galileo. It was his own name, chosen against the rules. He was a rebel, destined to be an outcast if he didn't change his ways. No-one was sure where those ways came from, brought up as he had been by Globalsoft.

Like all registered residents of Planet Mall, Galileo's life had begun in the communal nursery. Here all his needs had been met by Androgynous Artificially Created Life Forms. He had learnt routine amidst the sound of wall-to-wall Ga Ga tunes.

By the time he was three he had started Virtual Junior School. It was then that his dreams had started. It was unusual for Ga Ga Kids to have dreams, their lives fulfilled their dreams and they had little time for such imaginative things, However, for Galileo they were increasingly common.

The first had been one of the clearest. In it he had seen a man in a cage of light, dressed all in white apart from a red arrow across his chest. He appeared to be writhing in pain as several early model Androgynous Artificially Created Life Forms stalked around him. Then 3 other men had appeared and approached the cage. They placed their hands on the bars and they disappeared. Now free, the man within set about wrecking the place, smashing control panels. Galileo would never forget the panic on the life-forms' faces.

A teacher approached Galileo, clearly concerned that he was not joining in the festivities.

"Hey mate" she enthused, "come on, go celebrate! Your life is just beginning!"

"Good!" he replied. However he was clearly worried about his stance. This was demonstrated by his stammer, "The s-sooner it begins the sooner it's over with"

The teacher was confused, she couldn't understand why anyone would feel that way.

"But you have so much potential" she argued. "You could get a job with any division of GlobalSoft you choose. How about music programming?"

"I don't want to programme music" he replied, adrenaline powering his words, "I want to make music. Real music. My own music"

As he said these words the teacher shuddered, suddenly scared. She had never heard such radical (and illegal) thoughts before. She just hoped she could change his attitude before anyone else got wind of it.

"Hey! Mate, cool it" she warned. Checking around to make sure she was not being heard, she continued, "Now listen www/gordonthejones'."

Galileo interrupted, "My name is Galileo Figaro!"

"Nobody is called Galileo Figaro. Where on Planet Mall did you come up with that?"

It was Galileo's turn to be scared now. He suddenly became unsure of his words once more; he spoke as if to convince himself that what he said was true. "I found it. In a dream. I have dreams you see."

His voice became higher and the words faster, "And I hear noises, screeching, thudding, b-banging noises. And words, words drop into my head, too many words. Help! I need somebody. Help! Not just anybody."

The teacher tried to reassure him, even if that means stretching the truth a little, "I understand. I feel your pain. But come on mate! You live in a perfect world. What more could you possibly want?"

"I want to break free!" came the reply.

Galileo wanted to break free from the lies of GlobalSoft. He wasn't sure why, but something told him that the system was built on a multitude of them. It was so proud of itself, so certain that it's way was the right one- the only one in fact. But he knew differently. He had seen a glimpse of something different and, despite being told all his life that it was wrong, it appealed to him.

To be honest he'd fallen in love with doing things his own way. Somehow it seemed more real and less artificial. It was almost as if this was the way things really should be.

Yes, he knew that made him different. However, it wasn't different in the horrible way that GlobalSoft taught; it was a different that meant unique and special. Not only that, but he felt he had to be different- it was his destiny.

But such a thought made him scared. He was suggesting walking out GlobalSoft's door and into a completely new world. He didn't know what he would find out there, his dreams were misty and imprecise in that respect. Maybe it would be safer to just do as he was told.

No! His current existence was wrong! There was no hope left on Planet Mall and hope was something he had longer for ever since his dreams had given him a glimpse of it- he might even go as far as saying it was his birthright.

He wished he had someone to share this birthright with, but he knew he was destined to go it alone. He just wished people would understand this and let him doing things his own way. Just leave him to break free.

Lost in his thoughts and confused by anger, Galileo didn't notice the descending lights of the police laser cell until it was too late. They froze him, cut him off from the world.

Oblivious to the boy's notice, his teacher was now joined by Khashoggi. Khashoggi stared at him, a look of pure hatred on his face. He turned to the teacher, who was watching him with interest.

"You say this boy wants to make his own music?"

"Yes" she replied, with a look of distain, "the little freak says he hears it in his dreams"

"He is aware that music, other than that programmed by GlobalSoft Corporation, is illegal? The act of an individual?"

"Of course, but he doesn't care"

Like all teachers at Virtual High, Galileo's teacher had been assigned the task of making sure that all her students followed GlobalSoft's instructions. This included monitoring and reporting so-called 'individuals'. She would then report them to the secret police should they fail to respond to her tutoring.

"Has he ever tried to make an instrument?" Khashoggi asked (this had been a sign of true rebellion ever since they were banned in 2046).

"Once" the teacher replied, "in Technical Studies, he was caught trying to stretch plastic string across an empty lunch box"

"Did he-" (Khashoggi could hardly bring himself to utter the words" "pluck it?"

"Yes" the teacher exclaimed, "but he claimed he did not know why"

Khashoggi seemed pleasantly surprised by this last statement. Finally, he had something to investigate. And an unsuspecting youth was always the best, the easiest to get information from. Maybe he could even use him as a spy.

He turned back to the teacher, "So…. An ignorant plucker! I think I shall have to talk to this boy!"


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: They Say I'm Goin' Crazy

Once he had got rid of Galileo, Khashoggi turned his attention to the matter of exposing other rebels.

"Are there any other potential Bohemians in this year's graduation groups?" he asked the teacher.

"I am sorry to have to report, Commander, that there is one other" she replied, "A repulsive creature. A girl."

As she spoke, the girl entered the courtyard. She was dressed from head to toe in black, punctuated only by a few thin threads of pink. These strands set off her dyed hair, which was tied into scraggly bunches at the top, the rest being left to dangle across her shoulders.

Her body language spoke a million words. Like Galileo, she was desperate to break free. Unlike Galileo, she had little idea of any alternatives to her dismal world. She knew the world was lying to her, but she was uncertain of how it had lied.

www/Vickiethesmith' hated her name. In fact she hated everything about herself. It wasn't surprising really, all her life she had been told she was useless and destined for the rubbish chute.

At first she had tried to fit in. She had attempted to learn the steps, but she wasn't a very good dancer. What's more, whilst most people were under care of the corporation, her Mum had decided to keep her.

Then, when Vickie was aged 7, her Mum had died. They said it was a case of eating too much fruit and veg combined with lack of sugar- she had simply wasted away. With her only source of support gone Vickie had become a loner, unsure of where to go.

And so she had retired into herself. And the less she cared about the world, the less she cared about the world, the less it cared about her. Eventually she found herself with no friends, no family and no way of expressing herself than to simply be different.

Ands now the taunters were back for more. They appeared in the shape of 5 Teen Queen Cheerleaders. These were the worst of the bunch, the glamorous (but not quite popular enough) insiders. They sought out those that were below them in order to raise their own status.

"Check out the weirdo, girls" they jeered, "Doesn't your Mum download you anything decent to wear?"

Vicki wasn't going to put up with that one.

"I make my own fashion statements" she replied defiantly

"What's today's statement than? "Hallo I'm a pathetic, ugly little zero"?"

She should have expected that, she guessed. She certainly expected the next one.

"How will you ever get one of the boys from the Boy Zone dressed up as some sort of freak? You're a disgrace to the Ga Ga Girls"

That was really enough now, she wasn't gonna let them compare her to them.

"I ain't no Ga Ga Girl" she screamed, "and I'm not interested in the kind of Boys R Us derr brain Zone clones you hang out with"

Eyes rolling, Sammi retorted, "You are such a sad loner"

Vicki responded with bitter cheek, more to herself than to the other girls, "Well you sure are right about that, bitch"

She wished they hadn't said that. They were always taunting her about her lack of friends or, much worse, the lack of boys in her life. She pretended that she didn't care about men, but in truth she longed for someone who would hold her close and say that he loved her.

Every morning she got up and her stomach dropped. She felt weak at the knees. Things got worse when she looked in the mirror. The clothes with which she had flaunted her independence in public became a sign of her isolation, she tugged at them and shred them to pieces. Then, crying, she wished that someone would hear her pleas for relief.

And the Ga Ga Girls responded with even more taunts the moment that she exited her room. They told her that no-one would ever lover her. They told her to get a virtual life, but she knew that wouldn't be real enough for her.

Every day she worked hard, until she began to ache in her very bones. She was so desperate that she didn't see the irony of her actions, how they were enacting the very things that GlobalSoft wanted from her. Yet, despite her efforts, all anyone did was to put her down. They told her that she had no common sense; she had water in her brain. Why couldn't she just fit in like everyone else?

And so she would retire in the evening, hoping to find peace from the nagging world. But instead she would find only more inner torment. Then she would cry once more, until she was practically creaming for help.

Still, few noticed these emotions. She wandered through the day aimlessly. To the world she held up her head and tried to give the impression that she was OK, everything was alright. She was not going to be defeated by the system, she would use its own education system to work her way out of the prison cell. Someday she would be free; then she might even find somebody to love!

But for now it seemed that her time was at an end. Unknown to herself, she had been muttering her thoughts under her breath. And, hidden in the darkness, Khashoggi had been watching. Now he approached.

"How very touching, young lady. But surely you understand that the company loves you?"

At first he appeared gentle, caring even, but Khashoggi's true nature was soon apparent as he shouted "Arrest her!"

As the officers appeared, to arrest her, Vicki screamed, "GlobalSoft equals facism!"


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Guaranteed to Blow Your Mind

Chapter 5: Guaranteed to Blow Your Mind

Meanwhile, at GlobalSoft head office, Killer Queen was arriving for the daily meeting. A lot had happened since she had taken over the company during her youth. Now she had the directors eating out of her hand, just as she had once had the kids at school.

Her entrance was always greeted with much pomp and circumstance, just as she liked it. First there was the announcement to make sure that everyone knew she was coming:

"Workers of GlobalSoft! Junior Executives, Senior Executives, Vice Presidents, Presidents, Chairmen, Chairwomen, Chair-Transsexuals and Chair-Androgynous Artificially Created Life Forms, please prepare to welcome the Chief Executive Officer of GlobalSoft Planet Wide! /theworld!"

At this, her executives took their places at the table. They moved with pinpoint, almost military, precision. Each knew that their actions were being recorded and that one false move could cost them their job. After all, Killer Queen never became too attached to her employees.

Killer Queen could pretty much do whatever she wanted nowadays. This meant that she spent most of the day in her office and was not to be disturbed. Rumour had it that she spent this time drinking Moet et Chandon with her companions, eating caviar or smoking cigarettes (which she had produced especially).

What they were certain of was that 'do not disturb' really meant 'do not disturb'. The last person who had ignored this fact had never been seen from again. Her appetite for blood was insatiable!

Killer Queen was a complicated woman, a fact from which she did well by keeping it known. She never kept the same address and this meant that any e-mail you received could be her.

She travelled an awful lot, yet everyone knew that she hated the real world. The latter meant that she most often met people virtually and always ordered products sourced from the best locations via. the internet.

Cars were useless to her as she spent most of her time indoors. She had even gone as far as to tell someone that she simply didn't understand the need for such stupid machines in this world. Of course she had been disposed of by the time she had made the 'noisy contraptions' illegal.

The other thing she was known for was her playful ways. Needless to say they weren't very reliable either, a fact which drove her lovers wild.

As the executives waited Killer Queen made her grand entrance through the centre of the table. Smoke billowed around her as she stepped masterfully into the room.

"Commander Khashoggi!" she shouted.

The video screen behind her flickered and her chief of police appeared.

"You screamed for me, Ma'am?" he checked.

"The GlobalSoft Board and I have been discussing your recent security memo. We want answers"

The memo itself had been of the utmost urgency. After years of searching Khashoggi had found many rebels, but the find which this memo concerned had been of the greatest importance. Pop seemed to have found a text which had been hidden by Killer Queen's ancestors, something which they clearly didn't want to be found.

The old man clearly believed that these texts could somehow overthrow Planet Mall. He had believed so much that he had been willing to venture outside of his home to try to find others. That was another thing that worried Khashoggi, the increasing number of Bohemians.

The GlobalSoft Board had been rather annoyed by the memo (or so Killer Queen told them). And they had decided that they had to do something immediately. That was why Khashoggi had been called, to clarify the situation.

Killer Queen continued her questioning, "What of the old librarian you have been torturing?"

She didn't allow him to reply before asking her next question, "Do you take the texts which he discovered seriously?"

Khassoghi wished he didn't have to tell her the answer which he did, but he knew she would find out the truth anyhow.

"Yes, Ma'am, I'm afraid that I do"

Killer Queen's minions gasped, they knew this was not the sort of news their mistress wanted to hear.

As if oblivious to this, Khasogghi continued, "The legend clearly states that musical instruments still exist somewhere on Planet Mall. At the Place of Champions, hidden within the living rock"

The executives could hardly believe what he heard. Of course Killer Queen had known for a long time, but she hadn't felt any urgency to tell them.

"Oh no" they exclaimed.

"Oh yes" Khasoggi confirmed.

Ignoring the commotion, Killer Queen continued, "But which rock and where? The whole damn planet's a rock, if you didn't know."

She clearly thought this very funny since she signalled for her employees to laugh (three times). They duly complied.

"And what of this "shining star" that is supposed to guide us?" the great leader questioned. "I have had the company's finest astronomers combing the heavens for months. There is no new star."

Khasogghi agreed, as usual. "Not that we've spotted Ma'am, certainly."

The company's finest astronomers had indeed been combing the heavens for months. It helped that GlobalSoft had total control of Planet Mall's telescopes, terrestrial and orbital. After all, they didn't want any first contacts to go unnoticed- alien interventions could cause chaos if not controlled properly.

There were no new stars though. Not surprisingly since dust had obscured most of the terrestrial scopes. You might have thought that orbital ones would solve this problem, but they were old and decrepit.

With all the accidents that had befallen NASA in the past, they had long ago decided not to build any more shuttles. Without these the parts needed for satellites could not be launched. By the time it was decided that they were required once more the technology had been lost. The scientists of old could have turned the weapons of the present to this task, but no-one longer had the instructions to do such a thing.

So Killer Queen had dealt with the problem in her own unique way. It was this that she now explained to Khasoghi, "Well, start or no star, I intend to blast every rock on Planet Mall to smithereens just in case. Stonehenge! Mount Rushmore! The fame Victoria Beckham Belly Button Diamond! If these grim tools of freedom do exist, I shall find them"

This speech was received with the customary three clamps. This, however, was not enough for Killer Queen.

"Two more" she demanded.

Her minions obliged.

Khashoggi, in contrast, didn't seem too impressed. His response was "As always, Ma'am, you leave me limp with excitement."

"Watch it" she warned, or I'll leave you stiff with rigor mortis!"


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Download the Killer Queen

Chapter 6: Download the Killer Queen

Once Khashoggi had been dismissed, Killer Queen turned her attention once more to the waiting executives.

"And now let us return to the business of GlobalSoft" she announced. "The business of the complete appropriation of the imagination of every kid on Planet Mall. Take a memo! E-mail to all consumers planet-wide, "Dear everybody in the world. Get online you pleasure seekers! And download the Killer Queen""

All around the planet GaGa Kids were going online. As they did everyday, they plugged their minds into the system to give it total access.

This was the way the many millions who had not been lucky enough to be in the catchment of a GlobalSoft school got their learning. It was downloaded into their minds via the Killer Queen's personal console. And with it came immense pleasure.

That pleasure was the key to the whole system. At first it had been hard to get kids to log onto something which they saw as educational. The first idea had been to build the lessons into computer games- renamed as 'mind games' once they were discovered. A few fell for this ploy, but most continued to simply dance their lives away.

It wouldn't have been a problem, but computers needed people who knew stuff to keep an eye on them. Too many incompetent people were left in charge- files got lost and wrong buttons were pressed. The corporation simply could not let any more mistakes be made.

It was then that GlobalSoft's finest scientists had discovered the pleasure drug. It could be transmitted across computer lines and straight into the mind, making it almost impossible until Killer Queen desired it. In the meantime she took over their imaginations, turning all their thoughts to her will and teaching them her ways.

Killer Queen called across the internet for the GaGa Kids to open up their minds and let her stand inside. They shouldn't think too hard about what they were doing, simply let their hearts decide. Of course, due to the pleasure drug, their hearts would give in to the system. Then it would be so easy, they knew the rules to follow to make it that way.

All they had to do was fall in love with the pleasure that the system provided. Then, when they thought they were playing their own game, they would become part of GlobalSoft's game. A never-ending game. A game in which Killer Queen would rule the world.

But to do that she had to keep her minions happy, even when they were forced to spend time outside of cyberspace. So now she called to all those who were feeling down to let themselves go. Across the video screens of Planet Mall she announced that now was the best time to take a cyber shopping trip. Those who's resistance was low would no doubt obey, giving her their lives for the split second and then falling in love with the game. Then there would be no playing hard to get. Of course, the best bit was the fact that they believed they had chosen to go online, that somehow they were still in a free world.

Now she had her prey for the day, the game of love had just begun. A feeling of satisfaction ran through those online, from their head down to their toes. They had the love of GlobalSoft pumping through their veins. Slowly, they were being driven insane as the neurons in their brains were bombarded by adverts and subliminal messages. This was all the better for Killer Queen's purpose, minds that were no longer all there were easier to control.

As expected, they have the mighty one their lives. A few played hard to get at first, but she quickly put an end to that. After all, it was a free world so long as the players fell in love with the world that Killer Queen had created. Everybody was playing the game of love.


	8. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Underground- No Longer Wombling Free

Chapter 7: Underground- No Longer Wombling Free

Meanwhile, Khashoggi was busy interrogating his latest prisoner. He was determined to uncover the mysteries that this boy held, the secrets that he dared to hide from the his world.

"We found your laptop boy" he growled menacingly, "We have read the notes you keep."

Galileo seemed unphased by this statement, resiliently defiant in fact. He snarled back into the darkness from which his tormentor's voice echoed. He had always known that his brief notes could be accessed by the school at any time, but they had somehow seemed irrelevant and useless. Now he knew better, he was not going to back down easily.

Captive challenged captor, a snideyness in his voice, "So pigs can read. You'll be flying next."

Khashoggi ignored the comment and continued his questioning: "What does 'A wop bop a loo bop a lop bam boom' mean?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Galileo replied, "It means 'A wop bop a loo bop a lop b-bam boom'"

If Khashoggi was disturbed by this, he didn't show it.

"Do you really have a girl named Daisy who almost drives you crazy?" he asked.

As he did so, Khasshoggi briefly moved into Galileo's field of vision. This allowed the prisoner to address his next taunt directly at the inquisitor.

"Of course!" he spat, "And she knows how to love me, yes indeed, boy you don't know what she's doin' to me"

The sarcasm in Galileo's voice seemed to be lost on his audience. Khasshoggi, clearly believing that he had finally made a breakthrough, followed his lead.

"Then where is she?" he asked, his voice getting ever harsher as he continued, "What is her e-mail address? How does she love you? How does she drive you crazy? Is she a drug pusher?"

Galileo laughed. He was wound up now, like a spring. His voice leapt up and down and there was a madness in his eyes. Indeed it seemed like he had been driven insane, so determined did he seem to force a confrontation.

"You're madder than I am, Pig! He shouted, "There is no girl named Daisy. I wish there was! I just wrote it, that's all, it appeared in my head!"

Galileo's first dreams had remained locked up inside his mind, hidden away in the depths of his subconscious. But as time went on, and their frequency increased, they had begun to drive him crazy. His mind had become a tangled wreck, it was as if the words had strangled his brain and squeezed all the sense out of it.

In an effort to bring back some reality in his life Gailileo (then known as Gordan) had begun writing down what he had heard. It was just fragments, single words, byt their communication onto the screen seemed to bring about some small amount of realise. All he could hope was that one day this would become more complete and he might loose the constant daydreams that now plagued his life.

But now reality was all too real. Despite his retaliation, Galileo was secretly scared. Not so much of his inquisitor, but of what the future held. It seemed certain now that it would be no better than his past.

As Khashoggi screamed threatingly his warning that he would make his captive wish he had never been born at all, Galileo finally snapped:

"Don't you think I wish that every day" he screamed.

This lapse of self-worth was exactly what the police were looking for. Now the questioning hotted up as two policeman emerged. Questions fired from all sides, hemming him in:

"Where is Penny Lane?"

"What are the Strawberry Fields?"

"Underground, overground, Wombling free…."

"Tell me boy, how do you do do do the funky gibbon?"

Caught up in the anguish of it all, Galileo almost cried as he spoke, "I wish I knew! Oh, sweet mother, I wish I knew…"

The cops exchanged glances, unnoticed by the tormented youth.

It was now that Khasshoggi threw in the question he had been waiting to ask.

"Galileo, do you know what… a Bohemian is?"

"Haven't you got it yet? I don't know what anything is."

"Excellent. I think we've found you just in time."

Galileo's mind was fit to bursting. Words that had been sent to torment him spiralled through his brain. They twisted and turned and he felt as if he was falling. There was no room for thought, no room for feeling. There were only words.

He clutched at his mind, trying to make them stop. But it was like clutching at straws. The more he tried to make it stop, the more they came. Then the pictures started.

They came in short bursts, moments of time that would have meant nothing to anyone but him. And with them came the emotions: fear, anguish, anger and tears. That was all there was now. He was sure there should be something else, but all he could see was a spiral of uncontrollable thought.

Unbeknown to the lost soul, his fate was being decided at this very moment.

"The Seven Seas of Rhye, Commander?"

This was the usual fate of those who dared to defy the system.

"Oh no, dear me, not yet" Khashoggi replied, with unexpected glee. "Soon, yes. But first, first I think this boy will have his uses."

The cop didn't know what these uses were, but it wasn't his place to question. Instead he simply initiated the system which would take Galileo to his fate. As he did so, electronic interference filled the air.


	9. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Death On Two Legs

Chapter 8: Death On Two Legs

"Khashoggi to Killer Queen…"

Khashoggi had been awaiting this moment for a long time. Killer Queen's patience could only be tested so far, and he had a feeling that it had been beginning to wear thin. But now he would finally get the attention which he deserved.

"Good news Ma'am" he continued.

Her reaction (almost) took him by surprised, "It had better be, I'm having my roots done."

For a moment the Commander wondered if timing had got the worse of him once again. Still, surely even she would forgive his interruption once she found out what he had to tell her.

Killer Queen turned to her hairdresser, giving her a look of indifference as she did so.

"Get me a skinny latte…" she ordered.

Pandora knew she was lucky to be able to get so close to the great leader. Still, everytime she was called upon to improve her mistresses hair, she couldn't help but feel a sense of trepidation.

It was well known that Killer Queen's last hairdresser had been disposed of after a dying mishap. The chemicals in the red dye, which she had been applying, had somehow interacted with those in the already applied curling spray. The result had been a nasty green tint, or so Pandora had heard. Killer Queen had been forced to go offline for a whole week, until the treatment wore off, and the hairdresser had never been seen again.

If Pandora had been careful before she had heard the story, she was even more careful now. In fact she was almost pleased when she was sent on pointless errands; at least it was unlikely she would make mistakes when dialling up a coffee.

Killer Queen turned to hear her chief of police.

"So?" she demanded, a clear tone of impatience in her voice.

Khashoggi replied confidently, so certain was he of her pleasure, "I believe that the last of the remaining rebels will soon be within my clutches."

"Then you must crush them without mercy" she replied, uncertain why her minion was bothering her with such trivial matters.

"My my, Ma'am. You are an eager beaver."

Suddenly Killer Queen appeared to get angry as she retorted, "You leave my eager beaver out of this. We are discussing destroying the rebels."

Khashoggi ignored this outburst, secretly pleased that she was actually paying attention to his words.

"I advise discretion, Ma'am" he said, "The last thing I want to do is worry the Ga Ga Kids. Particularly now, with Summer upon us once more."

"There are no seasons in the Virtual World, Commander" Killer Queen replied. Annoyed that she needed to remind him of the obvious.

Khashoggi sensed that he was on thin ice now, but he needed to explain his meaning in order to regain some credibility.

"No on-line, Ma'am" he agreed, before continuing, "But sadly the physical world still exists. It's hot out there, hot and edgy. The rivers are drying up, the polar ice-caps are melting and the resistance is growing"

"The Bohemians?"

"Of course."

Every summer the resistance seemed to get greater. The rebels grew restless as their water supplies ran out and the sun scorched their skin. The few runaways, isolated and alone in the desert, sought out someone to hear their cries. They were forced into the city remains to scavenge for their needs. It was there that they met the Bohemians.

This group of outsiders were the only real threat to the stability of the state. Khashoggi longed to find and destroy them. But, despite his best efforts, they remained hidden. And with every moment that passed, their numbers grew.

Killer Queen knew all this of course and so her next question was meant to be purely rhetorical:

"Who are these people? What do they want?"

Unfortunately for her, Khashoggi seemed unversed in such subtleties.

"They want it all, Ma'am" he replied, "And they want it now. They want…. their Rhapsody."

Heads turned and faces stared at this final word. No-one could believe that anyone would dare to utter 'that' term. Let alone in the presence of the great mistress.

Killer Queen too was stunned by his pure audacity.

"That is a proscribed word" she spat, "no such state of being exists."

As if oblivious to the outrage he had caused, Khashoggi replied, "Not yet Ma'am"

"Not ever! The Bohemian Rhapsody is a myth! A myth, do you hear me?! Have you not reported that the euphoria they seek can only be unleashed through music? Real, live, music!"

"That is what they believe, Ma'am."

"Then there will be no Rhapsody, for there are no such instruments left on Planet Mall and the kids will never, ever, make their own music again!"


	10. Chapter 9

Chapter 9: A virus on the hard drive

Chapter 9: A virus on the hard drive

Galileo awoke with a throbbing head. Last thing he remembered he had been in a laser cage, a barrage of questions being thrown at his already confused mind. His head had been spinning them too, but in a different sort of way.

At least the words had stopped for a while. Pity they had been replaced by a feeling something like that which he had got after too much GaGa music.

Cautiously the youth raised his head, hoping to find out where he was. He regretted it instantly as even more pain shot up to his brain. The shock of seeing someone else was enough to distract him for a moment though.

"Hey, G-G-G-Ga Ga Girl" he stammered at her. "Who are you?"

The stranger spoke, her voice hard and defensive, "I ain't no Ga Ga Girl, and I don't answer any questions. Who are you?"

Gailieo was about to reply, but then he realised that he didn't really know how to. The result was the following words:

"I'm……. I don't know who I am."

The girl certainly was not impressed by this sudden attack of honesty. Instead she replied snidely, "That must make things a bit difficult."

OK, time to must things a bit clearer, or at least a little less cryptic.

"But my name is Galileo Figaro" he finished, a sense of pride in stating his 'true name' to a stranger.

He was even more pleased when she replied, "Cool name" and so he thanked her.

Pity that her response took the form of, "I wasn't being serious."

To his surprise, she continued, "Mind if I shorten it?"

"Well I supposed Galileo would be…"  
"So, Gazza, tell me, why were you arrested?"

For some reason Galileo found himself having no problem telling her his story:

"Because I hear sounds in my head, words and sounds" he replied.

It sounded so stupid that he felt obliged to add, "I'm mad you see."

There was no sympathy for this statement, instead she seemed to feel the need to tell her own story:

"I was arrested because they don't like the way I dress" she stated.

Galileo felt a strange need to defend her on this point.

"I think you dress beautifully" he said

"That's nice" she replied, before turning cold once more, "except coming from a self-confessed nutter…. Not!"

Her attention now turned to him once more.

"What sounds do you hear?" she asked.

"I don't know" he replied.

Vickie was unsure what to make of it all. First she had awoken to find herself in a hospital bed, head bandaged and disorientated, then she had discovered that she was not alone.

This realisation should have brought her comfort, but then she had discovered that her companion was insane. Not only that, but he seemed to have a need to tell her about it.

He heard words in his head, he said. Words and sounds to be precise. And somehow these had brought him to the attention of the secret police. This was despite the fact that he seemed to be incredibly forgetful. Maybe someday he would even forget tat he had met her. Part of her certainly wished that she would forget that she had met him.

"Do you know anything?" Vickie asked, sarcasm pouring out from her voice.

"Yes" he replied, "I know that I am different. Which is why the clones from the Boy Zone hate me."

Vickie was surprised to find this sudden commonality between them. Suddenly there was a feeling that they shared. Despite herself, she felt a need to reveal this to him.

"The Ga Ga Girls hate me" she said.

"Do you know why they hate you?" he asked, an air of interest permeating his vocal tones."

"Sure. They think I'm a lesbian because I don't wear pastels."

Galileo didn't seem to agree.

"They hate you because they're scared of you" he replied, "because you're different- you're an individual."

Vickie didn't like the way this conversation was heading. Everyone knew it was dangerous to be 'an individual'. It wasn't just being a little different; it was the sort of thing that made you disappear.

That must have been what had happened to them. They must have become too individual and so the police had arrested them. Who knew what would happen to them now- or indeed what had already happened to them.

"What do you think they did to us?" Vickie asked, voicing her concerns.

Galileo's answer was less than satisfactory:  
"I don't know"

Desperate now, Vickie asked another question:  
"Do you think they'll ever give up and leave us alone?"

Galileo didn't reply. Instead his mind seemed to be drifting off on another tangent. All of a sudden, from the mist, his voice proclaimed:  
"Don't you see? We're a threat! A virus on their hard drive! And they won't give up until they've pointed their little arrow at us…."  
"And dragged us to trash" butted in Vickie, as if reading his mind.


	11. Chapter 10

Chapter 10: It's the terror pf knowing what this world is about

Chapter 10: It's the terror of knowing what this world is about

Things certainly weren't going well for the pair, it seemed like these days it never rained but it poured. And things got worse the more they thought about them.

They thought about the people on the streets, going about their way without a care in the world. Oh how they wished that they were out there instead of locked inside this sterilised hell-hole.

Once they had wanted so much to know what the world was bout, but now they wished that they could forget it all. After all it only brought terror. Memories long burred returned. Memories of those in their past who had screamed "Let me out" only to disappear into the night.

They prayed, resorting to the last measure of the desperate soul. They prayed that tomorrow things might get better. And they prayed that the pressure they felt when they remembered the people on the streets might disappear like the long forgotten memories.

Galileo remembered the time when he had pretended that the truth he had seen was not real. He had turned away from it like a blind man, as if he couldn't even see what had been right infront of his face. He had tried to sit on the fence, as if the two 'truths' could sit side by side.

But this plan hadn't worked. And then the day had come when he could take it no longer. His emotions slashed and torn, his true self had walked onto the stage. It was then that the cops had taken him in.

But now, at last, he was feeling something other than self-loathing. Was he finally cracking under the pressure, or was there something else to it?

He felt as if life had given him one more chance. His heart was beating fast and he was determined to make a new place for himself in the world- a new place for him and this chick he had found.

Was this what was meant by love? No, it couldn't be. Love was such an old-fashioned word, a nonsense. He couldn't possibly feel such a thing!

But he might care for her. Did he care for this girl on the edge of the night? Did he have the ability to care for someone else when he didn't even really care for himself?

Yet, even as he thought these things, Galileo knew that somehow she had dared to change the way he thought about himself. Before he had met her he would have done anything to get out of the world he had found himself in, but now a small part of him wanted to live. He wanted to grab the one last chance that had been offered to him with both hands.

As if reaching out for this chance, his arms moved forwards of their own accord. His heart jumped and he longed to share the joy with someone. He went in for the embrace.

And then it stopped.

For a moment Galileo felt that she had been going to join him, then he realised his mistake. He had let himself get carried away with the moment- sure as anything he wouldn't do that again.

Vickie brought him back to reality as she asked, "So where do we go?"

"Out into the night!" he shouted, the thrill returning, "Down on the streets! We're the rebels now, 'cos Baby we were born to run."

"Don't call me Baby!" she shouted, insulted by his words.

Galileo was confused; he hadn't meant to hurt her. It had just spurted out with the moment. He reminded himself once more not to get carried away.

"Sorry" he apologised, "It's just a phrase I heard it my head"

"Well keep it there" she shouted.


	12. Chapter 11

Chapter 11: A shaft of light that shows the way

Chapter 11: A shaft of light that shows the way

Killer Queen and Khashoggi were back on the demolition site, supervising the last of the explosions. For the past 6 months Globalsoft had made itself a mission to destroy anything that could fulfil the prophecy of the living rock. Finally that mission had been fulfilled.

"Goodbye Stonehenge!" Khashoggi announced, as the ancient monument crumbled to the ground.

"Well, Madam" he continued, "we have now pulverised every single rock on Planet Mall and not a single instrument of Mass Destruction has been found. The legend is a myth or, if you prefer, the myth is a legend"

"I like it both ways"

"So I've heard, Ma'am"

"We've won Khashoggi" Killer Queen announced triumphantly.

An air of gloating in her voice, she continued, "The Bohemians will never achieve their Rhapsody"

Khashoggi didn't seem to agree.

"With respect, Ma'am, the Bohemians remain dangerous; all they need is a leader. That's all it takes. One young soul rebel, one crazy kid with a dream, a guitar and a bad-arsed babe to fight for."

"Could such a hero exist?"  
"Oh, but he already does, Ma'am, though he doesn't know it. He does not know himself at all, but I do. I've always had a talent for spotting potential."

"And crushing it" she interrupted.

"That is my job Ma'am" he agreed. "And with the last dream extinguished there will be nothing left on Planet Mall but untrammelled marketing and completely uncritical consumers. Put them together and what do you get?"  
"Alchemy Khashoggi, pure alchemy"

The world of Planet Mall appeared like a kind of magic to most of its residents. It produced a golden glance of what life should be like. Simply follow the shaft of light and you would be shown the way to your dreams. This was the ultimate prize, the one goal that your soul longed for.

And then one day the bell would ring; the bell that brought the dawning sanity of glorious consumerism. The waiting foe this moment may have seemed like eternity but now time would become a thing of the past. There would be only one dream from now on, the magic of GlobalSoft.

And with every mind that went down this path, Killer Queen's flame would grow stronger. She would take over their souls and turn them into what she considered to be sweet harmonies. She was the one with the power, the one who would ring the bells of their lives.

This quest for power had taken up what seemed like a thousand years of GlobalSoft's history. But now, with the destruction of living rock, the battle would soon be done. Then all of Planet Mall would be under one power.


	13. Chapter 12

Chapter 12: Two hearts with a one-track mind

Chapter 12: Two hearts with a one-track mind

They had been travelling through the sewers most of the day, hoping to find a moment when they could emerge free from strangers. The police had been looking for someone; they suspected that someone was them.

Security was being tightened up these days. Tension hung in the air. There were rumours of explosions and infiltrators caught unawares. This was not a good time to be a rebel, but rebels they were.

Finally, they saw their opportunity.

"I think it's clear up there Meat"

"Are you sure the cops have gone?"  
"I'm going up to the surface"

"Be careful! I'm coming up too…"

"No!" the male screamed, but it was too late, she had already emerged alongside him.

"You are so stubborn" he protested

"Yeahhhhhhhh!" she agreed, an air of cheekiness in her voice. "But that's why you love me"

Luckily the coast was clear, so the couple settled down to the business on hand.

"OK, so what we got?" he asked

"Well not much" she replied, "it's mainly plastic and hydrocarbons. But there's a sheet of tin that we can wobble"  
"Yeah"

"And some pebbles that make a nice rattle"  
"Cool"  
"A bottle to blow across"  
"Alright"

"And this great wire to twang"  
"Sweet, sweet, music…."

People had sought out ways to make music ever since musical instruments had been banned back in 2046. It was almost as if some objects lived to make noise. A finger tap, a door opening, anything could be the source of a sound. And then that sound might spread and create a song.

The Bohemians had taken it one step further. They had thought of ways to create their own basic instruments. They had made sound from scrap. Unknown to them, they echoed heroes of the past by making their own unique sounds. Never would exactly the same tones be reproduced from a different manufacture.

"If only we could fins another bit of wood to band against the one we've got" the male continued, eager in his mission.

"Yeah" the woman replied, hugging him passionately. And then, "Oh you naughty boy. It think I've found a big piece of wood right here."

His eyes sparkled, enticed by the moment.

"Yeah…." He started, before breaking off and turning it into a "no! Your job is to take this stuff to the Heartbreak"

"But Brit…." She protested

"No!" he replied sternly, I travel alone, you know that. I can't do the things I have to do if all I'm thinking about is you"

The girl drew back, sadness filling her eyes.

"Sometimes I wish you didn't care so much" she said. "Sometimes I wish we'd never ever heard of The Vibe!"  
"You don't mean that" he said, clearly worried.

"No…. I suppose not".

She moved back towards him

"But I miss you so much baby" she continued. "It's tougher every time you go away."

He turned to look at her, keen to persuade her of their cause.

"I'll be back" he said, "I always come back. And one day I'll bring The Dreamer with me"  
"Sometimes I think it's us that's dreaming" she cried, "perhaps the music really did die"  
"It's only sleeping, baby. It's in a deep, deep sleep. It won't be me that wakes it, but maybe one day I'll find the man who can."

Legend told of The Dreamer, a guy who would herald the resurrection of music. At the place of the living rock he would herald the landslide. Britney had been sent to find that man.

He had made it his mission, his lifelong goal. He knew that without The Dreamer music really would die. And so he had studied the fragments, hoping that one day they would lead him to their champion.

Now it seemed that he would need to convince his babe of the mission, reassure her troubled mind.

"If I could just find that lost vibe" he said, "well then we could share our love with the whole world. And you know what we'd get then don't you….. We'd get it all!"

Britney imagined The Dreamer, an adventure seeker on an empty street. He darted from one place to another; a young fighter, light on his feet. He didn't doubt the cause, he simply saw the pain and anger of the world. He asked for a future, a way out.

He wanted it all! A better world! A new life! Peace! Hope! Security! Freedom!

But how would he get it? He would call the people, gather them round. And then he would formulate a game plan which would shake the system to the ground.

And all they had to do to realise this power was to give him what was his. All they had to do was give him the sign! The youth would cry out for the future! They would cry that they too wanted it all!

And as Britney thought of these things, his conviction passed almost telepathically to the girl beside him. It was as if their two hearts had a one-track mind.

There was so little to do in one life time. There was no more time for compromise! They had to give the mission their all. And then the people would hear them. Then the people would see the lie they were living in.

Britney saw that their thoughts were the same and so guided them even closer.

"Imagine it Meat" he said, "the whole world joining in"

"Thousands of people in front of us!" she echoed

"Rows and rows of them!"

"With their hands in the air!"

And in their dreams the world responded. They wanted it all and they wanted it now! They wanted the music! They wanted the Vibe! They wanted The Dreamer!


	14. Chapter 13

Chapter 13: Thunderbolts and Lightning

Chapter 13: Thunderbolts and Lightning

Galileo and Vickie had escaped and made their way to the streets. Luckily for them the passage ways of the complex had been deserted, it seemed like they had simply been left alone to die.

But die they had not. In fact their lives were just beginning. Galileo knew this more than anyone else and he had spent most of the journey telling this to his companion.

"I know I talk about myself a lot" he was saying, "but- hey- there's a lot to say… All my life, all my life I've felt that I have a sort of purpose, a special destiny. That has to mean something, surely…"

"It does" Vickie replied, "that you're an arrogant, self-important arsehole. What special destiny?"  
"It's to do with the stuff I dream. The phrases, they always come back to the same thing, I see a great wide space and people, people everywhere, and noise, huge, huge noise! And then come the words…."

"What words?" Vickie asked, actually beginning to become intrigued by what he said

"Seek salvation in the place of living rock. A bright, bright star will show the way…. go to where the Champions played"

"Sounds like bollocks to me"

There he was. Thousands of people surrounded him, starring from the distant haze. Lights blinded him, almost frightening him senseless. Still, there was a feeling of intense excitement about simply being there; it was almost as if he was about to do something he enjoyed.

He strutted forwards. Something inside him told him to address the crowd, as if they were there for him. It was as if they were waiting for something.

He raised his hand and then the screaming began. Lights flashed and he no longer felt alone amongst a crowd. Then above the noise came words, issuing from his own mouth yet unknown to him.

"I think I dreamt a name for you" Galileo forwarded.

"Why would you do that?" Vickie questioned, "You only met me today"

"I always knew I'd meet you, that there was another Rebel, Rebel out there, another Wild Thing"

"OK, so what do you want to call me?" she asked.

Right, now was the moment when he would finally impress her. He took a deep breath, pulled himself up straight and said the name, "Scaramouche".

At first she seemed impressed.

"Scaramouche?" she said, as if running it through her mind. "Don't you think…. that's a bit…. crap"

Seemed she didn't like it after all; such a let down.

"Well I dreamed do others" he volunteered, his mind backtracking fast "but frankly I thought that was the best"  
"What were the others?"

"Long Tall Sally, Honky Tonk Woman, Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds, or Fat Bottomed Girl"

"OK" she replied, "I'll take Scaramouche….. Scaramouche….. Actually I kind of like it, it sounds…..archaic……almost like what I think they used to call a "tune""

Galileo froze. "A tune, yes"

It reminded him of his dream. There were some words that came after that weren't there?  
He spoke them as they came to him, "Scaramouche….. Scaramouche, will you do the Fandango…..?

The response was entirely unexpected, "Are you trying to get into my pants?"  
"No!" he practically shouted.

"Then what's doing the Fandango?" she asked.

"I think…..perhaps it's….dancing" he volunteered

"You mean Ga Ga Moves? Excuse me while I….. uuuuuugh…puke. Globalsoft write the song and work out the steps then every kid on Planet Mall does exactly the same thing"

No that hadn't been what he meant at all.

He tried to explain, "I think that maybe there was a time when dancing wasn't like that, when it was…free. Kind of individually expressive."

Infront of him the crowd moved, each in their own individual way. The man he was inside seemed pleased by this reaction, as if it almost gave him a reason for being.

Galileo saw it as if in a dream. Each person responded to some unknown force, their bodies vibrating with the power. It was almost as if they were dancing.

Music filled his mind and Galileo moved, imitating the crowd that he had seen so often in his dreams. Then the sound took over and he lost control of his body, it was as if it was no longer a part of him.

As Scaramouche looked on he threw himself frantically infront of her. His arm pulsated, striking up and down his chest. His knees bent, he took a nose dive towards the floor. Then he looked up towards her, obviously expecting some sort of response.

"I don't think I have ever seen anything quite so embarrassing in my life" was the response he got.

He seemed shocked, but still tried to defend himself.

"It looks better when I'm holding a tennis racket" he said

"It would have to" she retorted.

"Well perhaps doing the Fandango is just about being friends" he volunteered.

Scaramouche looked at him, moved by his suggestion.

"Friends?" she said, "I….. I've never had a friend"

"What…and you with your winning ways!"

Luckily, Scaramouche was thinking too good thoughts to notice his quip.

"But I always thought I'd like one" she finished.

"So are we friends then?" he asked

"If you want" she replied

"I do! I really do!"

"Well then, OK. We're friends"

"This is cool"

Galileo felt so happy that they were now officially friends. He thought he could almost fly. He leant forwards, caught up in the moment. His arms went up, thoughts of giving her a hug filling his mind.

Then it was over, as she pulled away.

"As long as you promise to work on your dancing" she quipped.


	15. Chapter 14

Chapter 14: The Dreamer

Chapter 14: The Dreamer

"Let's get them"  
Two strangers darted out from the shadows. Scaramouche had little time to think as she responded instinctively with a karate move. Unfortunately for her, the other girl was armed.

"Oh" she sighed at the sight of the flick-knife, knowing that she had been beaten.

The other girl talked fast, urgently even:

"Talk quick bitch- where did your boyfriend get the words?"

"What words?"

The man made his own input now:

"He calls you Scaramouche!" he cried, "He's read the fragments! He knows the Holy Text!"

"I don't know any Holy Text" Galileo replied, simply wishing they would go away, "I don't know what you're talking about"

"'Long Tall Sally', 'Honky Tonk Woman'…. The words, man, the words from the past."

"You've seen the fragments! You've been to the Heartbreak Hotel! You're a spy!"

"I said I don't know what you're talking about" Galileo insisted. "I just hear things in my mind that's all!"

"Who are you?"

Galileo wished he knew who he was. For a moment he had known, he had seemed to have a purpose. But then he had been ambushed and the world had been turned upside-down once more.

These guys asked him who he was! Who was he? He didn't know! They told him he was a spy. He was pretty sure he wasn't that! What was he supposed to be spying on anyway?

They claimed he had seen some Holy Text! Why would he want to read one of those? Religion was for no-hopers, the sanctuary of the desperate!

He thought these things quickly, searching for an answer, wishing that he knew what to say. But no answer came!

"I don't know!" the boy practically screamed. "Why do people keep asking me that?! I am the Walrus. This is Major Tom to Ground Control. Do you hear the drums Fernando? I am- the Dancing Queen!"

The way he said these things, anyone would have thought he had gone mad. Yet Britney knew these words! They were words which had been passed down through the generations, words which resounded with his psyche. He exchanged glances with his partner, wondering if she was thinking the same. Finally he dared to ask the question:

"You…just hear these words? In your head?"

"Yes" the boy replied, "I don't know where they come from, it drives me mad, all these phrases and sounds, stupid useless phrases. I mean what the Hell is a Tambourine Man? What's the story morning glory? Who was The Real Slim Shady? It's torture, all I know, and I don't know why I know it, is that I really really really want to Zig-a-Zig Ah"

Britney could hardly contain his excitement.

"Meat….. we've found him" he practically screamed "This dude is the one. He's the Man."

"I say he's a spy"

"No" he insisted, "he's The Dreamer, the one we've been waiting for, this is him"

"Test him…and his chick"

"His chick?" the girl protested, "What am I now, poultry?"

Then he joined in, "I don't have to prove myself to you"

Big mistake to challenge Meat!

"Test him" she insisted

Better do as she said.

Britney checked around to make sure they were still alone. He cleared his mind, slowly bringing his heartbeat into line with his breathing. Searching into his soul, he brought out the words that meant so much to them all. And then he began to sing:  
"_Mama, just killed a man_

_Put a gun against his head_

_Pulled my trigger now he's dead"_

A still silence fell. Britney turned to the boy, as Meat did the same. Now it was his turn, his chance to show what he could do. If Britney was wrong then this could be the end of them all. For a moment it seemed as if nothing was going to happen…

Tension rose through Galileo's body as the singing was handed over to him. He knew that this might be the most important moment of his life, he just hoped he was up to it.

Then the words rose from inside him, battling to escape against his nerves:

_"Mama, life had just begun_

_But now I've gone and thrown it all away"_

Well, it seemed to have been right, whatever it had been- he was being looked upon with an amazing sense of awe! A sense of pride rang through Galileo, but faintly mixed with it was a vein of confusion.

"Then what does it mean?" the woman suddenly screamed. "Tell us! Who is Mama? Who's been killed? Why has it all been thrown away?"

"I don't know!" Galileo shouted

"We've been searching for the meaning all our lives" she practically pleaded

"I tell you I don't know! I just… hear the words that's all"

And to prove it he began to sing again: _"Mama- Oooooooh"_

But Britney clapped a hand over his mouth, as if he didn't want to hear any more.

It was all coming back to him now. The words and phrases drifted around his head and settled. He had heard this song before, in his dreams. He had sung it on that stage, only the voice he had used had not been his own.

It was stronger and more confident, that voice! It projected across the void, fuelled by both anguish and exhilaration. It was controlled and masterful, almost operatic in its quality. What's more he had a feeling that the voice knew the meaning, but it was a secret that not even he would ever share.

"You have to come with us" Britney ordered.

"Not her" Meat shouted, "She isn't the one, we don't need her."

Well this was a turn-out for the books. Just when his confidence was beginning to be restored, he would have to leave the one link he had with his past behind. There was no way that was going to happen!

"I'm not going without Scaramouche he shouted.

"Gazza, who says I want to go anywhere" she said (way to turn it back on him"). "These people could be killers"

"We are Baby" Britney replied, before explaining himself, "Killers, Thrillers and Bismillahs!"

"We're the resistance. The last hope" Meat chipped in

"We are the Bohemians"

Britney and Meat offered them a choice. They could stay in the life they had run away from or they could break free. They said that by being a shooting star, a tiger defying the laws of gravity, they would get it all. They would become Champions!

Scaramouche was the first to reply:  
"Nah, sounds a bit boring if you ask me"

"What?" Galileo questioned

"I'm joking Gazza. Of course I want to go."

"Alright" he practically screamed, excited to finally have a purpose.

But the moment came with a warning:

"Then understand this" Britney said, "If you come with us, if you join the Bohemians, there's no way back to Ga Ga land, you'll be an outcast for ever. No longer a member of the Cons-Human Race!"

Galileo wished he could share Scaramouche's optimism as she said: "Sounds perfect. Let's go!"


	16. Chapter 15

Chapter 15: There ain't no stopping

Chapter 15: There ain't no stopping

So Britney, Meat, Galileo and Scaramouche began their journey into the lower depths. They worked their way through the tunnels, secret passageways cut over the centuries.

The walls of those tunnels were lined with the remnants of a long-lost past. The rubbish of yester-year shone like jewels, their meagre light penetrating the darkness. Coke cans glittered and here and there a crisp packet rustled slightly as they progressed deeper.

It was these things which had inspired the Bohemians. Here they had found glossy magazines, CD cases and even the occasional poster. These were their treasures, the forgotten relics of time.

But Galileo and Scaramouche hardly noticed such objects. They were too excited to see anything but the darkness. Everything was new and so they took in very little. Their hearts raced and their pulses grew faster until it felt that they might accelerate out of their bodies.

They were rushing headlong, they had a new goal. They had thought they were so strong, but now they felt as if they were almost out of control.

Still, there was no stopping now. As Britney had said, there was no going back to Ga Ga Land. They were in it for the long haul and there was nothing they could do about it.

Globalsoft was a man with a stick in his hand. It set the rules and enforced them with an iron fist. There was no negotiation and no compromise.

Killer Queen herself ran Globalsoft as a business. She sold the product, promoting even the greasiest hotdog as appetising. And once you had taken your first bite you were hooked forever.

Or so it had seemed until they had met Britney. Now they had hooked themselves up with the other side. They were rushing headlong down the highway. They had strings which tied them to the resistance. They had seen the truth and it wasn't so groovy. So now, together with the Bohemians, they found themselves screaming in the night for freedom.

Of course the fire burning inside them was rather confusing matters. Was it that or the freedom that made them half-crazy? Whatever the reason, each of them had started freaking everywhere they turned. Each wanted to be with the other, but they couldn't stop running for fear that they might get burned again.

Still, this wasn't the time to figure wrong from right. In situations like this reason goes out of the window and all you can do is hold on tight.


	17. Chapter 16

Chapter 16: The Age Of Rock

Eventually the pair found themselves in a dark and damp sub-terranean room. Deep beneath the city, papers clambered with rocks and tiles amongst the walls. Ontop were strange bits of paper, old and torn. Words lined them, large and prominent like headers online. Only these messages seemed different, radical even

"Welcome to the Heartbreak Hotel" Britney announced.

Before Scaramouche even had time to reflect on the label 'Hotel' strangers began to appear from all around. They wore strange clothes and their hair was different from the norm. Still she couldn't help but notice that some of them seemed to favour darker colours, not unlike herself.

One of the strangers spoke, penetrating her thoughts, "Who are these two, Brit?"

Britney replied, "I think I've found him. The one we've been waiting for. The Dreamer"

He said it with such conviction that for a moment even Scaramouche's doubting mind almost believed. That was why the questioner's reply came as such of a shock:

"The Dreamer? Just because he has a leather jacket doesn't make him the Wild One. He looks like a clone from the zone to me"

"He calls himself", Britney paused, "... Galileo"

This seemed to provoke general shock amongst the assembled rabble. The word must have meant something rather serious to them; she guessed for earlier proceedings that it might even be some kind of code.

"Gailieo?" the man spoke in astonishment, "Then he must have seen the texts. He's a spy"

"Which is what I said" broke in Meat. Great help she was

"Kill him!" the man shouted.

The rabble didn't need telling twice, they rushed towards Galileo, ready to attack.

But Britney was on the defence: "Anyone who tries to kill the dude has to deal with me" he shouted. "He hasn't seen to the texts, how could he? We guard them with our lives"

It was true, the texts were locked away safely, even deeper underground than they were at that moment. They were fragments which few present had ever seen. It was the words which were passed from person to person, but never spoken outside of the Heartbreak Hotel.

Once there had been copies of the words, each household had owned their own version of the sacred texts. But then Globalsoft had spoken and the texts had been annihilated. It was only through sheer luck that their ancestors had managed to save a single copy for the rebels to find later, hidden amongst the rubble of the old city.

"He says he dreams the words" Meat said, suddenly appearing to change words once more.

"He calls the chick Scaramouche" Britney said, as if this was an explanation.

Anger welled up inside Scaramouche, what was it with calling her names these past few days? She had had words with Meat for calling her chick, now it seemed she would have to have words with Britney as well.

"What is the "chick" business?" she half-asked, half-screamed, "Do I have feathers? Do I lay eggs?2

The strange man seemed to take offence at this. "Hey lady!" he replied, "We believe that there was a time when if a cool dude wished to refer to his red hot momma he would use the term "chick". It was a mark of respect. Second only to "bitch""

"Something tells me you've got that wrong"

Scaramouche would have been quite willing to explain in what way it was wrong, but the stranger stopped her

"We're getting off the point" he said, "The point is this dude is a spy"

Now it was Gailieo's turn to be offended.

"Look, I don't know what you're talking about" he insisted, "And I didn't ask to be brought here. I don't know who you are or anything about your stupid texts"

"He just knows the stuff" Britney confirmed, "It's in his head"

Macca was slowly beginning to trust Galileo. At first the boy had seemed slightly annoying, too shy to be of any use to them. Then he had become a threat as it had been revealed how much he knew. But now he had truly revealed how little he knew, and surely any decent spy would know more than that.

What's more, the lad had an honest face. And Macca had a tendency for trusting honest faces.

So when Gailieo asked, "What are these "texts" anyway?" he was quite happy to tell him.

"What are these "texts" anyway?"  
"Fragments, nothing more. Stuff that we and other Bohemians across the global shopping precinct have found"

A girl stepped forward and continued the narrative, "We have scraps of stuff, magazines..."

"Magazines?" Scaramouche interrupted

She had never heard that term before, but then again she had never encountered a lot of what she had met in the last 24 hour.

The man explained, "They were kind of like Web Sites but they were made of paper and you could touch them. And weird, static commercials, stuck to walls- they were called posters. We take our names from these clues from the age of rock"

There followed a list of names as each of the Bohemians stepped forwards to identify themselves:  
"I'm Aretha"

"Jackson Five"

"Donny Osmond"

"And I'm Paul McCartney, they call me Sir Paul McCartney"

"And I'm Meat. You can call me Meat Loaf"

"I'm Madonna"

"They call me Prince"

"I'm Cliff Richard"

"Robbie Williams. Take That"

"Charlotte Frigging Church"

"And I'm Bon. Bob the poet. Bob the rebel. Bob the prophet. I am Bob the Builder"

"And who are you?" Scaramouche asked, turning to the rebel they had met first. She thought she knew his first name, but there might be more to find out.

He replied with gusto: "And I'm the biggest, baddest, meanest, nastiest, ugliest, most raging, rapping, rock and rolling, sick, punk, heavy metal, psycho bastard that ever got get down funky. They call me Britney Spears"

Now that they were finally accepted, Gailieo was keen to find out more about where they had found themselves.

"And what is this place, this Heartbreak Hotel?" he asked

"Get the man a chair please" Macca ordered

But before his question could be answered, Scaramouche was ready with another of her own.

"And where do you get all this great gear?" she asked, "You look fantastic"

"We find it" Meat replied, "We're scavangers. Fancy a makeover? You're a Bohemian now"

This seemed to excite the girls. They chattered amongst themselves, keen to try out their skills on a new outsider.

"We-e-ell" Scaramouche replied, unsure that she could ever look good in such exotic clothes.

"How about some tight jeans?" Meat suggested

"I hate my bum"

"A short skirt?"

"I hate my legs"

"A cropped top"

"I hate my stomach. And my hips. I quite like my arms."

"Well then lets..."

"But not my hands"

Meat was running out of ideas now. "So, something that accentuates your elbows" she suggested

"Girls please!" Macca interrupted, "I am talking to The Man here"

But Meat wasn't gonna be disturbed whilst she was in full flow.

"Well it's better than talking out of your bum, Paul!"

Totally missing the point, Macca replied. "Sir Paul"

"Whatever"

Totally ignoring him, Meat returned her attention to her new model.

"Go on Hen" she said, "I've got loads of stuff back there, just have a laugh"

"It's you lot that will be having the laugh!" Scaramouche insisted, as she reluctantly made her way to the dressing room.


	18. Chapter 17

Chapter 17: Remembered Forever

Seizing his opportunity now that the fashion parade had ended, Macca finally answered Gailieo's question: "As I was saying: This place is a rebel base but it is also a shrine. A shrine to all that we believe and a place to remember the long lost dead King"

"What King?" Gailieo asked.

Even as he did so he could feel the atmosphere change around him. The air began to feel colder and a second seemed to last a lifetime. It even felt as if the lights had dimmed out of respect.

"Little is known about him" Macca explained, "except that his name was Pelvis, a poor boy from nowhere who sang like an angel and danced like the devil. A teenage truck driver who broke free to become a mighty rebel who spawned a thousand rebels"

"But he was too wild" Prince continued, "too free and when he moved his hips the kids felt good about themselves. So they took him and cut off his hair"

"Shaved his cool greasy stand-up quiff like he was a convict" interrupted Bob

"And then they put him in the army"

Now it was Charlotte's turn to explain: "Then they humiliated him. The King was forced to make foolish movies, singing nursery rhymes to gangs of grinning children. He was ashamed ."

"It broke his spirit" Madonna said sadly. "He took refuge in drugs and pills and- cheeseburgers"

"Like a million kids that followed" remembered Bob"

Charlotte concluded the tale, "The King was dead"

"And many kings and heroes died thereafter" Macca told teh stunned boy. "The songs have been lost, but their names live on. We remember those that died young. Buddy Holly. Jimi Hendrix.

"Kurt Cobain"

"Jim Morrison"

"Bob Marley"

"John Lennon"

"Freddie"

The last name echoes through the silence. The voice that spoke it was sad and distant, as if remembering a long lost loved one. This man obviously meant a lot to her, removed by time and space but not from her heart.

And as Meat began to tell of him, speech alone could not communicate her feelings, So, instead, she began to sing. Her voice was clear and smooth, playing the melody as if it was air. The Bohemians listened, stunned by the sound:

"_A hand above the water_

_An angel reaching for the sky_

_Is it raining in Heaven?_

_Do you want us to cry?_

_And everywhere the broken-hearted_

_On every lonely avenue_

_No-one could reach them_

_No-one but you"_

Her voice rose, crescendoing to the heavens. It flew like a bird released from its cage:

"_One by one_

_Only the good die young_

_They're only flyin' too close to the sun_

_And life goes on-_

_Without you"_

As those last words hit her, Meat retreated into her thoughts once more. It was as if the bird had taken her confidence with it, leaving her with just the memories:

"_Another Tricky Situation_

_I get to drownin' in the blues_

_And I find myself thinkin'_

_Well what would you do?  
Yes! It was such an operation_

_Together payin' ev'ry due_

_Hell you made a sensation_

_You found a way through"_

Now the other Bohemians joined the lone voice, supporting Meat both emotionally and vocally:

"_One by one_

_Only the good die young_

_They're only flyin' too close to the sun_

_We'll remember-_

_Forever"_

The voices retreated, but didn't totally leave, instead they provided a backing to the memories.

"_And now the party must be over_

_I guess we'll never understand_

_The sense of your leaving_

_Was it the way it was planned?_

_And so we'll grace another table_

_And raise our glasses one more time_

_There's a face at the window_

_And I ain't never, never sayin' goodbye_

_And it's_

_One by one_

_Only teh good die young_

_They're only flying too close to the sun_

_Cryin' for nothing_

_Cryin' for no-one_

_No-one but you"_

And with that both the story and the tale finished. Galileo would never forget what he had heard- the emotions, the feeling and the music. This man- Freddie- must have been great indeed!


	19. Chapter 18

Chapter 18: Rock n' Roll- The Sweet Sweet Noise

A figure peeped out from the door behind the gang and gingerly stepped into the light. With a "Da Dah!" and cheers from teh Bohemians, Scaramouche returned.

"You look great, Hen!" Meat enthused.

Scaramouche must have been nervous, because she didn't even notice the poultry reference

"No I don't!" she said

"You do" insisted Meat, "totally rock and roll"

Galileo felt obliged to join in the enthusiasm "That's right Scaramnouche. You do look totally rock 'n' roll". One sec, but what did that actually mean? "But what is Rock 'n' Roll?" he asked

He immediately felt very stupid.

"What is Rock and Roll!" Macca practically screamed, "What is Rock and Roll!"

"Gazza Baby" said Britney, "Rock 'n' Roll is anything you want it to be"

"It's sec"

"It's style"

"It's rebellion"

"It's freedom"

OK, this was actually just making things more confusing

"Yes, but what actually is it?" Gazza asked again in desperation

The answer was less than satisfactory.

"We don't know" admitted Macca. "All we know is that somehow there came a day when rock and roll died. But we have always believed in time there would arise a man who carried the past within him. "

"A man who could remember" interrupted Mr Church

"Yes thank you, Charlotte" Macca rebuked, "The Fab One is talking. Somewhere on Planet Mall" he continued, "there are instruments. There must be. If Britney is right, you are the man who will find them."

Galileo could hardly believe his ears. Only a couple of days ago he had been a high school dropout. Then he had learnt that he was the chosen one. Now he had to find hidden music.

"Me? I don't even know what they look like!" he protested

He had only ever heard of instruments once before and that one had been lunchbox shaped. When the teacher had confiscated it she had mumbled something about music. That couldn't be what he was expected to find though, surely.

Britney said he knew what instruments looked like.

"I've been working on this for months" he said, "Can't play it though. Fortunatly Lulu can"

"Lulu you're the man!" Prince screamed as Britney produced a broom handle bass. He passed it over to one of the Bohemians who plucked the string.

"Mmm mmm sweet sweet noise" he murmured, closing his eyes to listen more closely.

To Galileo's amazement the Bohemians began to make music out of whatever they could find. It was a tremendous noise, full of rhythm, much more than his lunch box had ever made.

"And then all you need is your baby" Britney explained over the noise, "because you see, Gailieo, these days what passes for music is created only for money, which is why it has no soul. But when Rock 'n' Roll began you know why they did it"

"Why?"

"They did it for their babies of course. They did it for a crazy little thing called love"

And with that the Bohemians launched into a fast paced song. They sang with their hearts, couple to couple, their bodies swaying with the music. As they did so, Gailieo was reminded of the words he had spoken to Scaramouche only that morning: "I think that maybe there was a time when dancing wasn't like that, what it was... free"

"_This thing called love, I just can't handle it_

_This thing called love, I get a-get round to it_

_I ain't ready_

_Crazy little thing called love_

_This thing called love_

_It cries (like a baby) in the cradle all night_

_It swings, it jives_

_Shakes all over like a jellyfish_

_I kinda like it_

_Crazy little thing called love_

_There goes my baby_

_She knows how to rock and roll_

_She drives me crazy_

_She gives me hot and cold fever_

_She leaves me in a cold cold sweat!_

_I gotta be cool, relax, get hip_

_Get on my back, take a back seat_

_Hitch-hike_

_And take a long ride on my motor-bike_

_Until I'm ready_

_Crazy little thing called love"_

The music was infectious. It took over both Scaramouche and Gailieo and before they knew what there were doing they were joining in, repeating the words that already seemed so familiar.

"_I gotta be cool, relax_

_Get hip and get on my tracks_

_Take a back seat_

_Hitch-hike_

_And take a long ride on my motor-bike_

_Until I'm ready (Are you ready?)_

_Crazy little thing called love_

_This thing- called love_

_I just- can't handle it_

_This thing- called love_

_Just gotta get round to it_

_I ain't ready (Get ready!)_

_Crazy little thing called love_

_Crazy little thing called love- all right!_

_Oh- YEAH!"_


	20. Chapter 19

Chapter 19: I say hello, and you say goodbye

Sirens wailed and lights flashed as cops appeared from nowhere. They rushed in from all sides, encircling the dismayed Bohemians. As they huddled together the chief entered.

"Oh yeah indeed" he concluded, sarcastically, as two policeman grabbed Galileo and Scaramouche. "Finally I am checking into the Heartbreak Hotel. Incarcerate the rebels!"

At his order a large laser cage appeared, trapping the Bohemians. The bars tightened, herding the shocked prisoners into a struggling, herding mass within.

"And so Mr McCartney" Khashoggi concluded, "I say hello, and you say goodbye"

But Britney had other ideas, "No! You'll never take the Dreamer while I'm alive"

"You'll never escape the lazer cage" Khashoggi boasted

But he was wrong; as Britney charged the cage with all his might, it gave way.

"Galileo! Scaramouche!" he screamed, "The future of rock lies with you!"

And with that a mighty battle enraged. Britney turned and reacted with lightning speed as the others, unable to break out of the cell, watched helplessly. Cops rushed at the defender in all directions, struggling to assist their comrades. It was then that Galileo and Scaramouche found themselves free.

Galileo was torn. He knew that for the kids on Planet Mall to be free he had to run. But that would mean leaving Britney and the others to their doom. He hesitated momentarily then grabbed Scaramouche's hand. As they escaped, he could just make out Britney fatally outnumbered but valiant in his fall.


	21. Chapter 20

Chapter 20: Sweet Illusion

So now the vision of Globalsoft was restored to all its glory. Killer Queen's plan was back on track. Her goal- total control of Planet Mall. Her mission- to destroy all other voices. And it looked like that was finally coming to fruition.

The Ga Ga Kids continued in their comfort zone, quite oblivious to the commotion of the past week. They knew that there was only one true religion and that its name was consumerism.

Yet once upon a time there had been more. Once there had been a dream of something better, a glimpse of hope and unity. Small pockets of individuals had dared to dream of sweet unison. Had it all just been an illusion?

Surely not, for even the Ga Ga Kids had begun to feel the effects. They were so small that few had noticed them, but now they were gone the absence was felt. A cold wind blew across Planet Mall and a dark wind fell. Hope was lost.

In their desperation the Ga Ga Kids called out to Killer Queen for help. She was their God and so they called to her in their troubles. There was only one true direction, to move closer to her.

As the momentum grew the Ga Ga Kids called out for others to join them. They urged for their hands and their hearts. They longed to become one world and one nation once more.

So, that night, the millions who sat down to scheduled programming felt a strange mood come over them. It was a desperate need to cease hate and fight and just celebrate life.

As the dancing went on good moods began to return until, eventually, normality was restored. Millions wondered why they had been panicking, after all they hadn't seen anything out of the ordinary expect the mass mood. They were of one flesh, one clone and one religion. They spoke as one voice, with one hope and following one decision. They just wanted the night to party, with the hope that morning would come. That was the one plan, the one scam of Killer Queen.

And so the star shone as they sat down to their Chicken Dinner. And as the buckets rolled out to the seated couch potatoes, cries were heard of Fried Chicken. Peace reigned.

Until, that was, the police arrived.

"Rebel alert! Rebel alert!" rang out through the streets.

It echoed through the plaster board walls and tin flats. It reverberated down the lift shafts and air conditioning ducts. It shook the very ground. And then were the Ga Ga Kids afraid.


	22. Chapter 21

Chapter 21: Something To Live For

Far away from the sirens, silence still reigned supreme. It was a peaceful night, clear and calm. There were even a few stars visible amongst the celestial clamour of orbital satellites. An eerie cool fell amongst the city remains- tyres and cans, even an old wrecked van.

It was this place where our unlikely couple had first met their unlikely rescuer and his chick. Although it had only been that morning, the world might have been forgiven for believing that it was many moons ago for all that had happened in the meantime.

Yet fate had brought them back to this very place. Now they emerged from the deep- lost, exhausted and alone.

"How did Khashoggi find the Heartbreak Hotel?" asked Galileo, as much to himself as to anyone else.

"He must have some way of tracking us" Scaramouche hypothesised.

After a moment of thought, Galileo exclaimed, "The hospital! When they operated on our heads!"

Galileo began to study Scaramouche's head intently, not entirely sure what he was looking for. Nevertheless he found it.

"I think... I think I've found something" he announced.

To his surprise, Scaramouche's response was to retrieve a shard of glass and order him to cut it out.

"What?!" he exclaimed (he knew as well as anyone the dangers of slitting)

"Gazza" she replied calmly, "if there are bugs in our heads then the cops will run us down in hours. Cut it out!"

Galileo had to admit that she had a sort of point. Why did she always have to be the sensible one?!

Reluctantly, he accepted the shard of glass. Then, as gently as he could, he cut into Scaramouche's hairline. She gasped and he drew away as blood issued from the cut. But the pair were more concerned by the flashing worm which emerged from the hole.

Once upon a time there had been insects which crawled in your food and your hair, creepy crawlies so gruesome that they were used in horror movies. Then came the advent of the super spray and they were eliminated.

Once upon a time there had been electronic bugging devices, bugs which stuck to your lights and your communications, listeners so intimidating that they were used by spies. Then came the advent of public awareness and they were eliminated.

Once upon a time there had been trackers, buys which stuck to your phones and your shoes, devices so effective that parents were able to find their children wherever they hid. Then came the advent of child voters and they were eliminated.

Once upon a time there was Globalsoft, a bug which infiltrated minds and souls, so effective that few realised its true potential. Then came the realisation that they could use the past for their own ends, and the flashing follower was invented.

"He had us from the start" exclaimed Galileo, an air of unbelief in his voice, "He's heard everything..."

"Hello pervert" Scaramouche broadcast into the transceiver, "Sort sentence, the second word is "off"!"

Conscience that Scaramouche was getting rather excited, Galileo decided that now was the best time to refocus her attention

"OK, now me" he said.

Scaramouche took the glass and quickly and efficiently cut into Galileo's head. Soon she was holding another 'flashing follower' in her hand

"Quick, crush them" cried Galileo, but Scaramouche exclaimed "What?! A couple of state of the art micro transceivers? No way, I'll just activate the maximum negativity spectrum"

"What?!" Galileo exclaimed (Science had never been his strongpoint)

"Turn them off"

Scaramouche did just that, leaving Galileo to wallow in his own thoughts.

When the process had been completed, Scaramouche returned her attention to Galileo. Galileo, in turned, turned his attention to their current situation.

"We're all that's left now" he observed, "Scaramouche you know that don't you? The Bohemians are finished. The Heartbreak Hotel destroyed. Only we escaped"

"Britney Spears died to save us" Scaramouche replied, "To save you"

"And he must not die in vain. It's up to us now. We're part of the Underworld, Scaramouche. You and me, cast adrift. There's no going back, not now, not ever"

"We never belonged anywhere". She paused. "Did you notice, you lost your stutter?"

Galileo thought for a moment before remarking, "I feel different"

"We're both different" she replied, "For the first time in my life I don't hate myself."

"And I don't want to die... I've found something to live for"

"The Dream?"

"You"

It was true, Galileo realised. Ever since the moment he had lain eyes on her he had known that she must be his. Some strange bond had drawn them together. Together they had been lost and together they had found a purpose. He was sure The Dream was caught up in it somehow, but all that really mattered was her.

Still, The Dream had also brought with it danger. Did he really want his hope to be raised just for it to be destroyed once more? Did he dare to give her what they longed for when it might be ripped away at any moment?"

"But we will be caught in the end" he said, "You know that don't you?"

"Yes. I know" she replied, "and probably killed"

Now that they both knew, the next words were easier

"I love you Scaramouche" he said

"I love you too Gazz"

With the final word the moment jarred

"Do you think maybe just this once you could use my whole name?" he asked

"I love you too, Gazza Fizza"

It wasn't quite what he had meant, but her gentle hand quelled any thoughts of protest.

Instead he replied, "Well if you love me, then dying doesn't matter very much at all, does it?"

There was no time or place for them. Every time they began to build their dreams they slipped away from them. Yet that didn't seem to matter in this sweet moment. Whatever was decided for them, it would wait until the morning. They might not have chance, but who cared when they had their love?

They kissed away each other's tears, gently comforting each other in the moment. And with such simple gestures their two worlds began to collide. They could not live forever, but their love would be everlasting.

The time that followed felt like an eternity. Forever was their today. For who waits forever anyway?


	23. Chapter 22

Chapter 22: I Command Your Very Souls

Amidst the darkness of the torture chamber, flashes of light indicated that an interrogation was in progress. To be precise, it was the interrogation of those rebels who had dared to defy the state, the Bohemians.

The perpetrators of these events were a series of doctors armed with brain-washing helmets. Under the command of Khashoggi they would find out the truth even if it killed them (the prisoners that is).

It had been 5 years ago when Terry had heard the call. It had not come as some flash of lightning, although it had seemed like a thunderbolt out of the blue- a blue-screen to be precise.

When he had received the call the blue-screen wall had lit up to reveal the face of the chief of police. It was the call which many hoped for, but few received- he was to become a doctor of the state.

His job was pure and simple- to study the physiology of brain waves in order to help the mentally ill. Terry knew that his new work would bring him much job satisfaction, after all he liked working with people.

"What do you know of the phrase "Living Rock"?" Khashoggi demanded, "Where is the Place of the Champions?"

"They are freedom words, Pig" Macca replied, spitting as he did so, "Words the Dreamer used. We don't know what they mean"

Doctor T studied Macca's computer screen, analysing his responses. Once he had done he spoke: "He tells the truth, Commander Khashoggi. I have applied a search programme to his brain functions and find no evidence of deceit"

"Pity" replied the Commander, "Hurt him anyway"

The doctor did as he was commanded. By hitting a nearby button he sent a bolt of power through the Bohemian's screaming body. The hope was that this would clear him, and the others who felt his pain, of any rebellious thoughts.

As the pain shot through the group they let out a cry of "Flash! Ah-Ah!"

I would rather you did not call me "Pig"" said Khashoggi. (Anyone who did not know him might have thought that he felt some need to explain himself)

"Pig's too good for you" screamed Madonna, seemingly oblivious to the volts that were about to be sent through her body

"Hurt her also" ordered Khashoggi

"Flash, Ah-Ah!" cried the Bohemians.

"In fact, hurt them all" screamed the chief, waving his hand in dismay as he did so.

Again a call of "Flash, Ah-Ah" filled the room

"For what it's worth" he continued, "your "Dreamer" knows no more about the place of Living Rock than you or I do. He is just a poor idiot, parroting phrases which he does not understand. Still, he led me to you, and for that I am grateful"

"Are you going to kill us?" Prince asked

"Please, Mr Prince?" replied the wily Khashoggi, "Globalsoft is not some Medieval Inquisition. We are merely going to kill your souls. Empty your brains of such absurd notions as real music and individual thought"

Macca couldn't believe his ears, "You're sending us to EuroDisney?"

"Funny! No, I was thinking more of the Seven Seas of Rhye. Prepare the helmets!"

As the helmets were lowered, Meat gave one final cry: "Dreamer, follow us. Bohemians, give him your power. Make your last thoughts, "The Dream"."

"Goodnight, Miss Loaf!"

"NO!!"

Khashoggi was in his element, he had the power now. Under his command were police, doctors and no the so-called Bohemians. Killer Queen might have the big fancy office, but he was the one with the power on the ground.

He commanded that the world feared him and, for the moment at least, they obeyed. Revealing his true nature, he began the process of sending the unbelievers' souls to The Seven Seas Of Rhye. Now they were his!

But his true goal was always to serve Killer Queen. He lived and lied for her. If she commanded it he would even die for her. She was his, he possessed her and yet he also belonged to her forever. Why did his life have to be so complicated?

It didn't of course! All he had to do was storm the traitors and fly through any defiance. By flash and thunder fire he would survive! He could defy the laws of nature so that he would come out alive!

Be gone the unspeakable terror of Rhapsody, be gone the souls that would make themselves Senators of this world. He would give out the good from their souls into the system and leave out the bad. These Bohemians had no chance against a power that could challenge that of the mighty Titan and his troubadours. And so, with a smile, he sent them to the Seven Seas of Rhye!

Their minds frazzled to almost nothing, the shells of the Bohemians obeyed his will.

For a second a state of childlike innocence appeared and they began to sing, "Oh and I do like to be beside the sea..."

Then they were gone.


	24. Chapter 23

Chapter 23: The Seven Seas Of Rhye

"Delivery for the Seven Seas"

"Misfits?"

"Of course, what else?"

"How many?"

"Large party. Numbers uncertain"

"Co-ordinates?"

"Euro Precinct. River Three. Old Lake. Geneva"

"Processed?"

"Of course"

"Hostile?"

"Not any more"

"Send them across"

Galileo awoke with a start.

"The Seven Seas of Rhye" he stammered

Ignoring his sudden outburst, Scaramouche greeted him chirply "Well good morning Gazza! Or perhaps I should use your full name, Shagileo Gigolo!"

"I've had this dream" he continued, before realising what she had said. "Shagileo Gigolo" he replied, a smile spreading across his face, "You really think so?"

"Oh yes" she answered, leaning across to embrace him.

Just before succumbing, Galileo remembered the urgency of his situation.

"No, Scaramouche" he rushed, "we don't have time! The Seven Seas of Rhye, I've been dreaming about Paul McCartney and the others. I dreamt that there were cops and there were cages made of lasers and..."

"Gazza" she interrupted, "believe me there is nothing, and I mean nothing, more boring than people wanting to describe their dreams to you"

"No but really..."  
"Trust me on this, it kills relationships stone dead. The day one partner wakes up and starts saying, "It was amazing, there was a rabbit in a bowler hat cooking an omelette" that's when love dies"

"Scaramouche, I'm sure of it" Galileo insisted, ignoring her sarcasm, "The Bohemians are heading across the Seven Seas of Rhye"

"I know"

"I think it's somewhere in the Euro Precinct of Planet Mall- there's water, lots of water... What?"

Scaramouche explained: "I know about the Seven Seas of Rhye. They're not seas at all but rivers, rivers that supply a lake. They used to call it Lake Geneva. The Spirit of Rock is very strong there. It's where they put the misfits, the rebels"

"But that is incredible" Galileo enthused, "We've had the same dream! It's like we're soul-mates, split apart, kindred spirits"

"Gaz" Scaramouche replied, serious all of a sudden, "I didn't have any dream, I've just reversed the polarity of one of Khashoggi's micro transceivers. I've been monitoring Police Headquarters"

Now Galileo felt a right idiot. First she knew how to switch the things off, then she knew how to use them on the enemy. Meanwhile all he'd done was dream. He was beginning to think that she would be better off without him.

"Wow, you certainly know how to make a guy feel inadequate" was all he could say.

Her response was to go all mushy on him: "Oh bless!" she replied, "Let me make it up to you"

And with that she leant in closer and he followed her lead.

But "No! I have to go to the Seven Seas!"

"Pretty dangerous" Scaramouche remarked, "the cops are bound to be still after us. I say we hide out here on this mattress... for a few days... and while we're here..."

It was tempting but...

"No Scara, I still haven't found what I'm looking for" he stumbled, suddenly confused once more, "I can't get no satisfaction. You don't stop till you get enough... Aaaaah Ga... doo doo doo, push pineapple shake the tree"

"Pardon?"

"I'm sorry. I don't know where that last bit came from. Look, I'm going, Scaramouche, but I shall come back and..."

"Hang on, what do you mean? They'll be cops all over the place. I should go, not you"

"Forget it Scaramouche" Galileo said, suddenly stubborn "this is my fight!"

"Excuse me?" she replied, sarcasm clear in her voice, "How do you work that out?"

"Because I'm the Man! Britney Spears said so"

"Exactly, which is why it's stupid for you to risk your life. I'm dispensable. You stay here"

"Oh yeah, like I'm really going to let my chick go fight my battles for me"

""Let your chick?!" Excuse me, but at what point in our relationship did you take the arse-hole pill?"

"Oh for God's sake, Scaramouche, does everything always have to be a fight with you? I thought you'd mellowed out?"

"Well I haven't!"

"Well you know it's really starting to irritate me"

"Oh no! My heart just broke (yeah right)"

"Look! You're my girlfriend and I want to protect you"

"You think just because you got your leg over, you owe me or something?"

"Oh you are such a pain with this constant female assertion thing!"

"Fine! At least we know where we stand"

"Yes we do!"

"Which is not together!"

"If you say so!"

"Right!" Scaramouche announced, "From now on our relationship is purely professional. We have a job to do and we'll do it, that's all

"Suits me" Galileo replied, "But I'm going to the Seven Seas!"

"So am I" she insisted, "but if when you get caught, and The Dream is lost and the kids are enslaved till the end of time, you're going to feel a bit bloody stupid, that's all"

And with that they began their journey! Apart!


	25. Chapter 24

Chapter 24: Floating Around in Ecstasy

Killer Queen was celebrating amongst her chamberpersons as usual. She was The Queen, ruler of all, and she could do whatever she wanted. This fat bottomed girl defiantly made the world go round.

What's more her minions knew it. As she partied they gathered around her, mimicking her movements and fulfilling her every wish.

Suddenly, when KQ was in full swing, Khashoggi rushed in. He was jumpy, excited but just a little nervous.

"Ma'am, I bring splendid news!" he announced

With a click, Killer Queen dismissed her yuppies.

"My officers have been successful in breaking up the Bohemian stronghold!" he continued, "The Heartbreak Hotel is destroyed!!"

"Khashoggi!" KQ enthused, "this is wonderful! The Resistance is vanquished! We've won!"

"Umm yes Ma'am, except if I might contin..."

But Killer Queen was already engrossed in her victory.

She began to sing:  
_"Tonight I'm gonna have myself a real good time"_

In desperation Khashoggi tried to get her attention, "Yes Ma'am if I could just..."

But she just ignored him:

_"I feel ali-hi-hi-ive!"_

"Ma'am it's just that..."

_"And the world, turning inside out _

_Floating around in ecstasy_

_So..."_

"Ma'am"

She was getting impatient now and her song began to reflect this impatience in both lyrics and pace:  
_"Don't stop me now..."_

"Ma'am"

_"Don't stop me now_

_Cos I'm having a good time_

_I'm a shooting star leaping through the sky_

_Like a tiger defying the laws of gravity..."_

"MADAM!"

_"I'm a racing car passing by_

_Like Lady Godiva I'm gonna..."_

"MADAAAM!!"


	26. Chapter 25

Chapter 25: Machine Guns Ready To Go

"Leave!" Killer Queen commanded her minions, before glaring at Khashoggi.

With great trepidation, her chief continued, "I'm afraid that you did not let me finish. We broke up the Heartbreak Hotel but I fear that the Dreamer and his bad-arsed babe slipped through our clutches. However, I don't see this as a...

"You lost them!"

Killer Queen's anger was strong and penetrating.

Khashoggi, attempted to defend himself, but the attempt was weak against her fury: "Well, lost them only in the sense of... don't know where they are"

This was not a response that she was going to stand for. With an overpowering intensity, she turned on him: "I am sick of excuses Commander Khashoggi! And I am also sick of you!"

"Ma'am?"  
"With your weary, sneery, posy, schmozey, "Look at me I'm wearing my sunglasses indoors" crap"

Khashoggi ripped off his shades in response.

"Oiling around the place" she continued, "your snooty little booty in your Armani suitey"

"Actually, Ma'am, it's M&S. They've really rather raised their game lately, don't you think?"

"Need I remind you that besides being Business Woman of the Year, I am also Dynamite with a Laser Beam"

Now Khashoggi was getting rather concerned that his boss might do something rather rash. He had thought things had been going unexpectedly well of late.

"No one admires you more than I do Ma'am" he crooned, "Your gentle manner, your quiet unassuming sense of style. Your generous, forgiving nature..."

Unfortunately this attempt at appeasement was obviously not going to work.

"You know what happens to people who disappoint me" she announced, "I think it's time to blow your mind.

And with that the supreme mistress began to taunt her subordinate. She mocked him, playing with his emotions and her yuppies acted out killings in jest. As her minions fell, she walked over their 'dead' bodies, Khashoggi looking on in terror.

The message was clear- she was the one with the machine guns ready to go. She would get him too, it was simply a matter of time until he could no longer stand the heat.

Now he was hanging on the edge of his seat, waiting for the moment when the bullets would rip.

The truth is that she had used him bad. She had taken him for everything he had and then kicked him out on his own. And then, when he had made his own mistakes, the end was certain.

Killer Queen toyed with ways to hurt him. She brought him to the ground by a mental beating, cheating him out of what he had earned. She tore at his emotions, treating him bad and leaving him when he was down. Time and time again she shot at him, each bullet hitting the mark but not quite fatal until eventually he was gone.

Then, standing on her own two feet, she dispatched him with one of his brain-washing helmets. The imagery could not have been more clear.


	27. Chapter 26

Chapter 26: Here We Stand

"Oi! Oi! Slow down will ya!" Scaramouche moaned, as she attempted to keep up with the fast paced Galileo.

"No! You keep up!" he spat back at her.

"I've got shorter legs than you!"

"Don't worry, your mouth makes up for them"  
"You didn't have any objections to it last night"

"That is below the belt!"

"Which seems to be all you think women are good for!"

Galileo turned to face his opponent, clearly ready to take a stance.

"Hey- we're not on some feminist awareness course here, Babe" he argued, "it's a battle as big as this planet!"

"As big as your ego more like!"

"Me, egotistical?" he replied, quickly changing the subject, "Let's get one thing straight here. You're a girl. You're slower than me, weaker than me..."

"Cleverer than you..."

"What? Just because you managed to reverse the polarity on a couple of micro-transceivers"

"Yes"

Galileo paused. For once she was right, but he wasn't going to admit it.

Eventually he replied, "My intelligence is abstract! I have the mind of an artist"

"A piss-artist!"

"And I have a world to save, so if you're going to hold me up then..."

"Hold you up?! Listen mate. We're in this together, and despite the fact that you're emotionally immature, scared of commitment AND you keep your socks on, I'm staying!"

"Suit yourself!

"Don't worry. I will!"

Backs turned to each other, the couple stood there fuming. Finally unable to take it any longer, Galileo felt that he needed to have the last word.

"Hey!" he shouted at Scaramouche

"Hey!" she replied, mimicking him in an attempt to be the final one to speak.

"Yeah!"

"Yeah!"

Now was the time when they would stand or fall, it was make or break time for the couple. History probably wouldn't care at all, at most it might become some footnote at the back of an unauthorised and long-forgotten e-book. So what was the point really?!

Their arguing was enough to wake the dead! Each defended their position, certain of what they were saying. It seemed that Lady Mercy wouldn't be home that night!

Galileo thought that she rushed into things, answering the call even when she hadn't been called. Her true nature was being revealed every day, as pieces of the mask gradually fell away. Scaramouche, in turn, accused him of basking in his new found glory. He wouldn't admit that things were wrong even though rain was pouring through his window pane. Instead he locked his door and hoped it would go away. Couldn't he see that his struggle was all in vain?!

Eventually, after what seemed like months of arguing they finally agreed on something- the fighting had to end! Each called on the other to surrender until both simply gave up. And then, exhausted from their exertion, they stopped.


	28. Chapter 27

Chapter 27: And Here We Fall

The bar itself was nothing much to speak of. Dust gathered on the bar. The tables were small and wooden, the chairs similarly fragile. At the tables sat motionless youth, lost and empty.

But outside there was true beauty. Mountains rose up, surrounding a vast lake. The water shimmered under the bright sun. Around the edge were fields of luscious marshes. All this could just be glimpsed through the bar's dusty windows.

Pop wandered slowly amidst the tables, carrying crates of beer and polished glasses. Now and then he took a glass and rubbed it clean on his cloth before taking it to the bar.

Under his breath he began to hum a tune. It was something he had heard a long time ago, once when he had been whole. It went something like this:

"Sometimes I get to thinking

I was back in the old days, long ago

When we were kids, when we were young

Things seemed so perfect then, you know?

The days were endless, we were crazy, we were young

The sun was always shining, we just lived for fun

Sometimes it seems like lately, I just don't know

The rest of my life's been just a show

Those were the days of our lives

The bad things in life were so few

Those days are all gone now but one thing remains

When I look, I find no change

You can't turn back the clock

You can't turn back the tide

Ain't that a shame?

I'd like to go back one time on a roller-coaster ride

When life's just a game

No use in sitting and a thinking of what you did

When you can lay back and enjoy it through the kids

Sometimes it seems like lately

I just don't know

Better sit back and go with the flow"

With plenty of time to think, remnants of the past had begun to reconnect themselves in Pop's mind. He had a feeling that as a young man he had been happy. But since then his life had deteriorated.

He had been sent to be a librarian, separated from the world. He had lost all sense of social skills and perspective, engrossed in his books. And then, finally, those very books had caused him to be brain-washed.

Still, there was no sense in bemoaning the past. Now he had his kids to keep, souls who sat at his tables. He had a job and a purpose, however small it might seem.

"These are the days of our lives

They're flown in the swiftness of time

These days are all gone now but one thing remains

When I look and I find

HOPE still survives

Oh yeah!"

Galileo and Scaramouche had walked a long way, constantly having to keep their eyes open for the cops. Luckily for them, without their transceivers the technologically dependent force had no idea of how to follow them.

And so they eventually found themselves at The Seven Seas. It was here that they were reunited with their old friends.

"Big Macca! Meatloaf!" cried Galileo, "You guys are all here! It's so good to see you!"

"How did you escape?" asked Scaramouche

"This is fantastic. The Bohemians are back. The fight is on!"

Slowly, Paul turned and looked Galileo right in the face

"Do I know you, kid?" he asked

From behind the bar, Pop leaned over to explain.

"Your friends aren't there, dude" he said. "Their bodies are, but their spirots are gone. They've been processed, man."

"What do you mean?" Galileo asked.

"This is where they all come" Pop replied, "the guys and chicks who tried to break on through to the other side and failed. They come to drown themselves in the Seven Seas of Rhye- Rye Whiskey, man, the last comfort of those who have rocked."

"But why do they come here?" asked Scaramouche.

"You mean apart from in order to get permanently pissed?"

"Yes"

"There's something about this place. It's like there's a spirit here." Pop thought back, retrieving what he had read from the depths of his mind. "Long ago, before global warming, the lake was much smaller. Who knows, maybe there's something beneath the water. Something those washed-out mothers need to be close to."

Scaramouche thought all this sounded highly mythical, hypothetical even. Why should they believe this stranger? They didn't even know his name!

"So who are you?" she asked.

"I was a librarian, Astral Babe" came the reply, "At the place where the Secret History is kept. I got a little too interested in the stuff I was reading"

He had definitely got too interested. It had began the moment had realised that the library contained information on the past. "Why would you want to record the past?" he had thought. After all, the past was unfashionable and stale.

But then he had found interesting stories, tales of technological progression and other ways of living. He had begun to read, and what he had read was more graphic and expressive than anything he had ever read before. The style flowed and led him to read on. He even found himself reading book without pictures or sound!

He read until eventually he found out that Globalsoft had not always existed. And then he learnt the tale of its foundations.

"They processed you?" Scaramouche asked.

"They tried" he replied, "but I guess I knew too much, they couldn't zap it all. I may be pretty screwed up but I'm still the most together dude at the Seven Seas. That's why I'm the barman"

"So you remember something?"

"One story. A legend so strong and powerful that they could not wipe it from my brain. Would you like to hear it?"

Sarcastically, Scaramouche replied, "No, I thought we'd just have a quick drink and bugger off!"

"Ouch! Balls broken!"

Silently apologising for his friend, Galileo said, "Of course we want to hear kit, Mr, uhm"

"Pop, they call me Pop"


	29. Chapter 28

Chapter 28: Music Homogenisation

Long ago, in the first decade of the Twenty-first century, there were those who foresaw the nightmare that was to come. They tried to warn others, but few listened. Some of them even formed their own bands in an attempt to restore true rock.

For a while there was a last hope in the form of a rock revival. Comeback tours spread the sound across the world and many heard the music, but others refused to listen.

This was the very beginning of music homogenisation, a time of boy bands and girl bands... and boy and girl bands... and girl bands with a couple of boys that looked like girls. As rock fell, these 'bands' rose up to take over, filling the world with their tunes. It was this that children emulated and grew up to become. They called them bands but they weren't bands at all. They were just pretty- pretty dancers with multi-tracked voices.

Soon even children were doing these dances, Ga Ga moves and karaoke. Everywhere you went this sound filled the air. Then they stopped playing and simply followed the trends.

And it's been that way ever since. A three hundred year bum vibe.


	30. Chapter 29

Chapter 29: Open Your Eyes

"It all sounds so plausible" said Galileo, as Pop finished his story, "but how can you be so sure?"

"Because it was foretold" he replied, "Take a look at this"

Pop wandered along the bar, leaned behind it and produced a large-ish rectangular object. It was black, apart from two white circles around the edge of two holes. The middle was indented, not as if it had been hit but in a regularly designed manner.

"Wow! What is it?" Galileo asked.

"It's a "Vy-dayo"" came the reply, "a "VY-DAYO TARP". An ancient scroll of holy text."

As Pop said these words the Bohemians' attentions were suddenly shifted into action. They gazed at the object, arms reaching out in an attempt to grab it across the room.

"They all want it you know" Pop remarked, "They all want the "VY-DAYO TARP", but I've got it... it's mine... it's my precious. It's a message from the past. A warning, laid down for us in antiquity. I stole it on the day I was captured and through ten long years of Hel in a laser cell I kept it hidden... secreted... out of sight... wedged deep within the murky cleft of my sweaty..."

"Too much information Pop" Scaramouche interrupted, hastily, "Just tell us what it is"

"Watch this oh ye seekers after the truth... I'll just slip the VY-DAYO in the teelee... listen to precious, and learn"

Pop placed the object into a hole in a nearby large plastic box. Then he pressed a button displaying an arrow that was underneath the hole. As he did so the display screen whirred into life.

Through the crackling screen could just be made out the faces of 4 long-haired youths, crowded together and singing:

"Is this the real life?

Is this just fantasy?

Caught in a landslide

No escape from reality

Open your eyes, look up to the skies and see..."

With that the display broke up into even more crackles.

"That's all there is" Pop announce, "The rest unfortunately is an episode of something called 'Big Brother"

"That was so beautiful" commented Galileo. "What does it mean?"

"Isn't it obvious?" replied Pop, ""Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy?""

"Yeah?" questioned Scaramouche.

"Cyber-Space" Pop continued, "The scroll speaks of a soulless, virtual world where the kids would be "caught in a landslide" of Computer Recorded Anodyne Pop... C-R-A-P!"

"Crap!" said Galileo, clearly pleased with himself.

"Exactly!" Pop continued, "The scroll predicts a time when "Crap" would dominate the charts. The text begged the kids to "Open their eyes...""

""Look up to the skies"" Galileo followed.

""And see""

There was a pause. Scaramouche broke it with her usual sarcasm.

"Wow!" she said, "So you really think that's what it meant? I thought it sounded like a load of pretentious old bollocks"

"No way, crazy lady!" defended Pop, "These are the words of truth. If only we knew the rest of the text"

"I think I know some of it" announced Galileo, "Tell me, old wise one, what does "Bismillah. We will not let you go- let me go. No no no no no. Mama mia mama mia, mama mia let me go. Beelzebub has a devil put aside for me" mean?"

Pop thought for a moment before replying, "Actually I think that bit probably WAS a load of pretentious old bollocks"

"But who created the scroll?" Galileo asked.

"Warriors, Titans!" came the answer, "Members of a rock freedom fighter collective known as... Queen! And having issued their warning, and having incidentally spent nine weeks at Number One with it, despite what were quite frankly some rather dodgy stage outfits, Queen decided to fight back!..."

Pop pulled up a chair from which the tell his tale, unfortunately a Bohemian was already sitting on it. The individual in question fell over, somehow remaining in a seating position throughout the process.

"Alright Cliff?" asked Pop

"Just a bit pissed Pop" came the reply

"Don't worry about Cliff Richard" said Pop, addressing the young heroes, "He's indestructible!"

And with that he continued his story.

"In order to protect the future of Rock 'n' Roll, Queen decided to bury their finest instruments against a time when there would be none!

But for three hundred years they have lain hidden. Queen wove deep and terrible spells to protect their precious weapons of freedom from abuse by those not worthy of playing them. Even at the beginning of the Dark Age of Globalisation, Queen knew that when the time was right, a hero would be found and the instruments would reappear. Perhaps you are that man, Man.

But first you should know what happened to Queen. The first of their number died young. Too wold, too beautiful for this world. The other three rocked on into the new century, pausing only to create a smash hit musical based on their greatest hits. But during Globalsoft's first battles for the soul of the Planet all three were secretly killed... it is said that the hairiest of the gang, a man named Bri-an, was granted a final wish before his execution. He asked to be allowed to play just one last guitar solo... And so was able to delay his death by three and a half days"

Here Pop's story ended and he turned to Galileo for help.

"Where are the instruments, Galileo Figaro?" he asked

"Me?" the boy replied, "How would I know, man? A couple of weeks ago I was virtually a Virtual High School drop out. Why would the Rock Gods tell me the answer?"


	31. Chapter 30

Chapter 30: A bright bright star will show the way

Suddenly the ground shook and vast rumbling sounds filled the air. There was a gurgling sound a billion times that of any plug-hole, yet somehow strangely similar.

"What's going on?" cried Scaramouche, a terrified surprise sound clear in his voice.

"Don't fret, Sweet Lady" Pop said (although he didn't appear to be fully taking his own advice), "they're just draining the lake, they steal our water all the time now, it's almost down to its original level"

It was then that Galileo spotted something.

"Look... look!" he announced, a look of sheer astonishment on his face, "What is that, emerging from the waters? A man!"

"A statue" Scaramouche cried in wonder

"A hero made from bronze and rock.

As he spoke the crowd turned enmasse to gaze at the statue. It appeared to be slowly rising out of the lake, the waters rushing away to cower at its feet. As they looked on clouds parted and the sun appeared, illuminating the face like some sort of giant spotlight. The statue stood, one arm outstretched to the world, a giant in this place.

"Who is it, who does it represent?" Scaramouche asked in astonishment.

Luckily for her Pop knew the answer.

"I know this man..." he said, "I saw many images of him in the Secret History... He is one of the freedom fighters of Queen!... the first to die... The greatest, brightest star of his time!"

For a moment there was silence. No-one spoke or even dared to move. Then, suddenly, Scaramouche spoke, her voice filled with enthusiasm, "Star! Bright star! Gazza, your dream! The bright bright star will show the way. The star isn't a star in the sky at all- it's a rock star!"

"Freaky!" commented Pop.

"But what?" Galileo asked, "What is he showing us? "

"The way!" Scaramouche replied, "It must be, the way to the place of the Living Rock! Living Rock isn't granite and stone at all, it's music!"

Galileo was confused. "But Queen buried the instruments there" he said, "How can they be buried in music?"

"The place of the living rock, Man!" Pop replied, "live rock and roll music! He's looking towards it, Dude! The star is facing North! Well, North and a little bit West actually. To the place where people came together to play and to be together..."

"The place where the champions played?" Galileo asked

"Yes" came the reply, "the Place of Champions! The old arena!... I'm sure of it! The machine may have destroyed the stands and the towers, but they could never destroy the vibe of what they once called... Wembley Stadium!"

Now they knew their destination they just had to work out how to get there. Scaramouche was particularly keen that they got a move on.

"Galileo we have to move quickly" she said. "Now that the star has shown us the way, it can guide the Police there too, there's no time to lose"

"I'll come with you" Pop announced, "I can show you how to get there"

"But we need transport!" Galileo insisted, "We need wheels!"

"BICYCLE" screamed the Bohemians, suddenly waking up to the situation before becoming silent once more.

"Bugger that" said Scaramouche, "we have to save rock 'n' roll! We can't turn up on a bike!"

"It's very eco" replied Pop

"But not very cool"

"You're right, Crazy Lady" Pop conceded, "We'll take my Harley! Rock's transport of choice. Not as fast, clean or efficient as a Japanese bike, but it sounds humongous!"

Pop clicked his fingers and a Harley roared into vision. It skidded as it passed and then stopped right in-front of the rockers.

"You get behind me, Baby" Pop ordered Scaramouche as he mounted the bike himself.

Following his instructions, she climbed on the back of the bike.

"Nice" Pop commented, "It's been years since I've felt the soft warm thighs of a rebel chick wrapped round my skinny white arse"

Face cringing, Scaramouche dismounted.

"Forget it" she said, "I'll go infront"

"Well all right" Pop conceded, as she climbed ahead of him, "but don't blame me if I push the bone"

"I felt that" Scaramouche complained as he did just that. "Gazza, get on behind me" she ordered. "And don't get any fresh ideas."

Galileo wedged himself between Scaramouche and Pop. They made an unlikely three-some, jammed together on the retro machine. The old man grabbed the steering, ready to roar the bike into action once again.

"It's time" Galileo announced, "Time to avenge the mighty Queen... Time to avenge them all"

"The word rhymes with banker!" Scaramouche mumbled.

Oblivious to this, Pop cried (from the rear) "Get on your bikes and ride!!"


	32. Chapter 31

Chapter 31: Headlong to Hope

And with that the bike roared into action. It was a long and dangerous journey, over mountains and valleys- a true advernture.

At any moment the trio might have been caught by the secret police. After all they were wanted criminals who, against all possibility, had managed to escape from The Seven Seas.

The people of Planet Mall were their rescuers as well as their condemners. As the lake drained it revealed pathways from long ago. It was these that the Harley jolted along, taking every twist and turn as it came.

"Stop" yelled Scaramouche, as they hit the steep slopes of a mountain range.

But Pop wasn't going to stop for anyone. He was on a mission. A mission to save rock 'n' roll! Increasing the revs he tore up the mountains face, faster and faster until they were almost vertical.

"Hold on" he screamed

His passengers grabbed on tight to the bike (and each other) as they hurtled onwards.

When they hit the banks on an old river bed, Pop wished he had checked his brakes before he set off. He leaned forward instinctively to honk his horn and Scaramouche only just managed to stop him in time.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" she screamed, "do you want to get us caught or something?"

They didn't see much of the scenery for a while after that, preoccupied as they were with arguing. This was halted only by a collision with the outskirts of Old Orleans.

How they could have missed the waning signs was anyone's guess- it was big enough certainly. The giant glass dome spread off into the distance, it's gleaming white spires marred only by the sprawl of prefabricated huts which crowded around its base. Inside would be millions of Ga Ga Kids, not to mention GlobalSoft security.

Pulling their mean machine to a halt, the trio crouched down to observe the goings on infront of them. Pop was all for rushing the place and starting a riot, but Galileo and Scaramouche weren't so sure that was a good idea.

In the end common sense prevailed and they crept round the complex under the cover of nightfall. Even then it wasn't easy going. The ground was rough and uneven and at any moment they might have been ambushed. The journey was long, the complex was so vast. Everyone complained: Pop about the lack of alcohol, Scaramouche about the existence of a cumbersome motorbike and Galileo about the moaning.

They were just getting used to the constant groans when a twig snapped behind them. That was strange in itself, the forests had long been depleted from this area. Galileo spun round, anxious to see who it was. But they could see nothing in the darkness.

"Turn on the headlights" Scaramouche hissed, and then suddenly regretted it as the lights lit up everything around them. Not only could they see clearly, but anyone watching them would have been able to as well. Pop switched them off again, but not before they had spotted the small boy.

He could barely have been 4 or 5 years of age. His clothes were torn, covered in dust and his hair hung long. On his feet he wore shoes that were lose fitting, across between Pop's and those of the Ga Ga Kids- they looked like they were made of rubber.

From the darkness they heard him cough. Scaramouche reached out, desperately wanting to help him somehow. From the depths of his non-existent memory Pop thought he could relate to this child as he gulped back a tear unnoticed. But the boy was gone.

The rest of the journey went uneventfully until they reached the point where Old Orlean's dome met that of the Parisian Quarter. It was here that the sun decided to rise.

As it began to shine down through a cloudless sky, the sun reflected off the two giant domes. The anti-glare surfaces may have protected those inside, but it did no good for those trapped outside. Instead it acted like a giant mirror, reflecting the heat back at those close-by. As the atmosphere began to feel like an oven, Pop's handle-bars hotted up as well.

"Owwww" he screamed, as he blew on his hands in an attempt to cool them down, "That smarts"

Scaramouche gazed up at the sky, Galileo did the same but looked slightly too close to the sun. He closed his eyes and then blinked, trying to get rid of the spots that now covered his eyelids.

"Great" Scaramouche complained, "guess it's up to me to get us out of here then!"

The trio would have made a strange sight as they made their way, as quickly as possible under the circumstances, from the domes. Pop led the way, always keeping his eye on what he believed was North (and a little bit West). Behind him was Galileo, holding on to his shoulder and still blinking frantically. Scaramouche brought up the rear, desperately trying to steer a Harley on foot using its leather seat and without touching any of its metal parts. Luckily from then on they encountered no patrols that day.

Eventually the heat wore off and they found themselves apart from civilisation once more. This area was a marshy wasteland. Once it had been dry land, but as the seas had risen it had become wet and uninhabitable. The only sign that people had once lived here were the occasional ruins of semi-detacheds.

"How ever are we going to get across that bog?" cried Scaramouche, who was beginning to get fed up with the whole situation.

"We could try swimming" suggested Galileo.

Eyes turned, but the comment didn't seem to be worth a reply. Silence reigned as the individuals looked around for an answer.

Then, "How about we take a boat" said Pop out of nowhere.

No-one had noticed the derelict ship until now. It was rammed into a stretch of water which was slightly bigger than the others, marooned on not-quite-dry land. It's bow rose up out of the sea, it's second deck climbing towards the sky.

Cautiously the travellers approached, minding their every step on the unstable ground. It squelched beneath them, threatening to swallow them or their bike up whole. However, after many worries they eventually made it to the boat.

Pop rammed the door open and all three climbed in. The ship was monotone, clinically white apart from the occasional flash of colour. Signs pointed to casinos, cinemas and what seemed like a thousand restaurants- there was even a swimming bath.

The first thought of all those present was food- they hadn't eaten for several days now. They stood still for a moment, trying to decide which sign to follow. But, before they could choose, Scaramouche reminded them of the danger they were in.

"We can't just stay here" she argued, "We could be discovered at any moment. Better set sail."

It took a while to find the central control hub, but once they had done so it was easy to launch off. Scaramouche pressed a few buttons and the computer did the rest of the work. Now they were on their way to London. They only hoped that they weren't being followed.

In fact our trio needn't have worried. Since removing the micro-transceivers they had been virtually undetectable by the system. Cod and always moving, Google Earth had found it hard to track them amidst the billions of citizens and whilst dodging millions of communication satellites. Truth be known, Killer Queen was beginning to think they had probably died- after all everyone knew you couldn't survive for long in the 'real world'.

As they saw the tip of the O2 Arena rising out of the water, our travellers knew that they were almost at their destination. This was proved to be correct as their vessel ran aground once more.

Moments later a roaring noise would have been heard by anyone passing outside. This was followed by the scene of a motorbike rushing into view. As it went headlong down the highway it's direction was clear- on to Wembley!


	33. Chapter 32

Chapter 32: Deep and Terrible Spells

The three adventurers finally arrived at Wembley. Or, to be more precise, they arrived at the ruins of Wembley.

"Excuse me while I park the bike!" said Pop, letting it drop onto the ground below.

So much for taking care of his precious machine.

"There's nothing here. Nothing at all" Galileo commented, as much to himself as to his companions.

It was true. Their destination was a desolate wasteland. As far as the eye could see there was simple rubble and rubbish. A cold wind blew across the desert, bleak and remorseless. Surely the pain could not have been for this, the loss of so many souls for so little.

Ignoring Pop's usual downbeat exclamation of "bummer", Galileo continued his moaning

"No instruments, not even any rock" he despaired.

"Just rubble" commented Pop.

"This place must have been destroyed centuries ago. It's no Place of Champions anymore, if it ever was. I've failed, Scaramouche. I don't know where the Holy Axe is hidden and I will never play the lost riffs. My dreams never come true. "

And at that moment his words seemed all too true. This wasn't the place of Galileo's dreams! It was a nothing, a sea of sadness! A rusted arch to a doorway of despair! What remained of the metallic structure was rusted and scribbled on, like some sort of sunken ship! A hulk of its former self!

Much like the life that he had always led. His self torn and tattered. When he had finally exposed his soul to the elements they had battered him down to dust. Now Galileo stood, a shell once more.

"Don't blame yourself Gazza" Scaramouche interrupted, "it isn't your fault"

A slight glimmer of hope rose from the dust, fuelled by a gentle soul.

"Thanks Scaramouche"

But then it was torn down once again as she continued, "No, I mean it's not your fault you're a spineless, gutless, whinging little cry baby!"

"Excuse me?" exclaimed Galileo, genuinely shocked by this turn of events.

"I know why you can't find the guitar, mate" Scaramouche continued, "You remember what Pop said? "Queen wove deep and terrible spells to protect the instruments from those not worthy of playing them""

"You mean me?"

"Ouch" Pop butted in

Scaramouche continued once more.

"What do you think the mighty Queen died for? So that you can act like a pathetic little coward? You wanted to be a rock star? Huh! They wouldn't even have you in a boy band!"

"Ooh" Pop commented once more.

But Galileo had had enough.

"Hey Babe!" he said, "I'm getting kind of tired of the self righteous thing OK? We tried, we failed. The instruments are not here. Get over it."

"Then we'll have to make music without them!" Scaramouche stated

Galileo thought and then asked, "You mean a capella!"

"No!" Pop screamed, but Scaramouche wasn't listening

"If necessary" she replied

"It's never necessary!" Pop groaned.

Scaramouche finally noticed Pop's panic and it made her feel she had to justify her stance:  
"That's what it was all about in the beginning wasn't it! Kids doing it for themselves! Playing in the streets! In the garages!"

"Yes! Yes! It was!" exclaimed Pop, finally getting caught up in the moment.

Now she just had to persuade Galileo

She turned to him and urged him on.

"So come on Gazza" she said, "where's the bloke I used to love? Where's the bloke with the lead in his pencil? Where is Shagileo Gigolo?"

"Right here. Babe!" he replied

"Well prove it then- are we gonna rock- or what?"

"Yes! Yes we are! I don't need some old second-hand instruments to make music. I can do it myself! The music of a human being, not a machine"

"Right on!"

"Hello Wembley!!" joined in Pop.

Yet there was still something missing. Galileo had the reason to succeed, but the motive wasn't truly his. He searched his brain, looking for the impetus. And then he found it.

He turned to Scaramouche and said:

"But ... Not without you Scaramouche. You remember what Britney Spears said before he died? Making music is about love... you do it for your Baby... and I can only do it for you. I love you, Scaramouche, with all my heart. Please forgive me. Please come back to me because if you don't, I don't know if I can do this thing, and the kids will be forever in chains."

As he said these words, Scaramouche's face was glowing redder and redder. By the time he had finished, her voice had become unusually small and timid.

"God!" she practically whispered, "Talk about emotional blackmail"

And with that she turned to gaze into his pleading eyes. Her eyes met his and for a moment both were entranced. Then she reached forwards and grabbed him, pulling him tightly against her as their lips met.

As he watched the couple reunited Pop went all tingly. It was a long time since he had seen such devotion- almost as long as the kiss which followed.

When they eventually released their grip on each other, Scaramouche exclaimed "So-let's Rock!"

Galileo had the reason now, but it still wasn't an easy task. He sought deep down inside for some sort od inspiration.

"I... don't know how to start..." he bemoaned.

"Come on Buddy!" encouraged Scaramouche, pleading with him to do it. "You're a boy.

"Make a big noise!" Pop chipped in.

"Playing the street" Scaramouche reminded him.

"Gonna be a big man some day..." Pop pointed out.

The words his companions spoke seemed strangely familiar to Galileo. It was as if he had heard them before somewhere.

"Hey! Hey that's it!" he exclaimed.

"What is?" Scaramouche asked.

In reply Galileo simply repeated the words in the form which they took in his mind. They came out as a kind of chant:

"B... B... Buddy... Buddy you're a boy... make a big noise... Playing in the street, gonna be a big man someday..."

And then he paused, the first words repeated.

From the silence Pop commented, "What an exhilarating collection of words"

Galileo stamped the ground in an attempt to gather his strength once more.

"You got mud on your face" he chanted, "You big disgrace. Kickin' your can all over the place."

Now he could hear the rhythm clearly. It shook through his very bones, summoning the memories of this place. Suddenly all his dreams made sense, he was back in the stadium where he had seen the strange man perform; the very figure that had pointed the way. He was there, performing once more infront of millions of onlookers. And as the crowd cheered once again, they took on the rhythm. It was the beat; stamp- stamp clap, stamp- stamp clap, stamp- stamp clap.

"Listen Scaramouche" he exclaimed, "It's the beat! The beat is returning"

And to her surprise she heard it too, the beat which ran through the living rock.

"The beating of our hearts!" she cried.

"Hearts of solid rock!" he echoed.

And now the moment had come. Galileo rose to his invisible crowd, his confidence growing with every second that passed. He felt a sudden rush through his body as his heart took on the rhythm. He took a deep breath and then he sang:

"Buddy you're a boy, make a big noise

Playing in the street, gonna be a big man some day

You got mud on yo' face

You big disgrace

Kickin' your can all over the place

Singin'

We will, we will rock you

We will, we will rock you

We will, we will..."


	34. Chapter 33

Chapter 33: The Dream Machine

Thunder rumbled across the ruins as, with a crash, the very walls of Wembley were torn apart. The shock of it all made Galileo pause in his song, uncertain of what had happened.

"What's happening?" cried Scaramouche.

"Thunderbolt and lightning, very, very frightening!" exclaimed Pop.

Then ,as the dust cleared they saw it, half embedded in the rock.

"Scaramouche" shouted Galileo in excitement, "Look! An instrument! A musical instrument!"

Scaramouche could hardly believe her eyes.

"So they exist after all!" she screamed.

And indeed, it was true. Surrounded by glittering rocks, it stood there in its glory. Its body was mostly red, but a rim of black adorned one side upon which were two knobs. On the other side was a thing that looked like a stick, lying above the strings. Its strap was there ready as well, urging someone to play it.

"The dream machine!" exclaimed Pop, "The most powerful weapon of freedom known to man. An "electric guitar"! Seize it Shagileo Gigolo, for none but the just shall play the Hairy One's Mighty Axe. None but the Kids!"

Galileo didn't need telling twice. He seized the guitar from the rack and strapped it to his chest. Then he strode forward, to cries of "You're my guitar hero" from his chick.

"Yes, I am, Baby!" he replied, "And now! Let's Rock!"

Galileo had dreamed of this moment all his life. The moment was his as he tore a mean riff. Unfortunately it wasn't quite as good as he had imagined.

"Oh no man!" moaned Pop, "The rebirth of modern jazz!"

It was then that Galileo remembered he had never dreamed of playing guitar, there had always been some long-haired bloke behind him in his visions.

Still, at least Scaramouche was still with him. And for once she was trying to be nice!

"I thought you were really good Gaz" she lied.

And them when she saw his face, she added, "No, really!"

She took the guitar delicately from him, clutching it close to her. Her face said it all, she couldn't believe that she was actually touching an instrument. A longing to play it stirred inside her and suddenly she let out a chord.

For a moment all eyes were on her. Power chords ripped through the air like a knife. Then the real music began, her fingers dancing up and down the fretboard like a dervish.

Then there was silence.

Finally, overcoming his awe, Galileo cried out "The Hairy One is back, and this time- she's a babe!"

"So I'll play, you sing" announced Scaramouche

"Yeah!" agreed Galileo

"And I'll be a groupie" Pop chipped in, "Anyone want to see my tits?"

"Shut up Pop" the couple shouted in unison.

"Received and understood, but first..." replied Pop.

Pop took out his communicator and tapped into it furiously. Galileo and Scaramouche leaned over, intrigued by his actions.

Finally Galileo asked, "What are you doing, Pop?"

"What do you think?" he replied, "Hacking into the Globalsoft mainframe and e-mailing the Power of Rock to every Ga Ga Kid on the Planet. Soon they'll all be Bohemians,

"But Pop" cried Scaramouche, "the Killer Queen will get your e-mail too!"

But her warning came all too late. As Pop glanced down at his modem he saw the horrible truth.

"Oh no, Man, she just did!" he said


	35. Chapter 34

Chapter 34: Somebody better put you back into your place

"Who dares play live rock music on Planet Mall?" shrieked Killer Queen from her transport screen.

From the ruins came the reply, "We do, Killer Queen- all right?!"

Genuinely shocked Killer Queen screamed, "What?"

"Shagileo Gigolo's Band" came the reply

"Who?" she shouted

Ignoring Killer Queen, Galileo turned to his girl, a glorious smile across his face,

"Did you hear that, Scaramouche?" he said, "I've got a band... now the Kids can see the true Power of Rock."

"Well not all of them actually" Pop butted in, "most of the kids can only see half of the true Power of Rock and then only the top of their heads"

It was true. As Galileo looked around 'his band' appeared amongst the ruins. However, with all the rubble, he could only see their top halves.

"Well the top of the heads of half the Power of Rock is enough to vanquish Globalsoft" he announced, "Boys- unleash the Mighty Riffs, and tie that Mother down!"

A sound that had not been heard in almost 3000 years flooded the stadium. Guitars wailed and drums rattled as the remaining Bohemians joined in one almighty song.

All around Planet Mall living rock permeated the minds of the Ga Ga Kids. It reached out across the deserts, entering the great domed cities. It rode cyber-space, crashing down the walls of time. It sped headlong across oceans. And finally it reached the headquarters of Globalsoft itself.

As it did so Killer Queen began to scream. Her body pulsating with the rhythm, her mind disintegrated with the sound. It was pure horror! Finally she could take it no longer and with a final cry of "No, no, no, no, no!" her transmission closed.

But it wasn't over yet. The power of rock may have freed millions, but it still had to bring them together and guide them once more.

"Pop, bring me my mike" cried Galileo.

The old man turned to fulfil the request, muttering to himself as he did so: "I'm a groupie and a roadie! I'll have to have sex with myself! So, no change there then!"

"Shut up Pop!" shouted Scaramouche.

Still muttering to himself, Pop handed the mike stand to Galileo.

Then he tested it, just to make sure all the world would hear: "One, two... One two..."

Across the miles the lost Bohemians had heard the sweet music. It rejuvenated their souls. Through the darkness they remembered truth once more. The music drew them forwards and towards their saviour. Nothing could stop them as they pursued their dream.

And then, finally, they reached the party.

Galileo turned to see the return of his friends to reality. And then, with a smile, he repeated the song that had brought them all freedom:

"Buddy you're a boy, make a big noise

Playin' in the street, gonna be a big man some day

You got mud on yo' face

You big disgrace

Kickin' your can all over the place

Singin'

We will, we will rock you

We will, we will rock you"

He felt the music overcome him and now he knew the true song. The words burst out of him, all his worries gone as he sang on:

"Buddy you're a young man, hard man

Shouting in the street, gonna take on the world some day

You got blood on yo' face

You big disgrace

Wavin' your banner all over the place

We will, we will rock you- ev-rybody

We will, we will rock you

Buddy you're an old man, poor man

Pleadin' with your eyes, gonna make you some peace some day

You got mud on yo' face

You big disgrace

Somebody better put you back into your place

We will, we will rock you- sing it!

We will, we will rock you

We will, we will rock you

We will, we will rock you"

Now all the planet was dancing. And as a guitar solo rocked the world once more, it knew it was finally free.

When Scaramouche had finished she held up the Holy Axe. Ceremonially, Pop took it from her. Keeping it above the crowds, he carried it away from sight.


	36. Chapter 35

Chapter 35: We Are The Champions

Finally, after centuries of battling, the Bohemians had won. They'd paid their dues and sentence to Globasoft, although they had committed no real crime. Along the way there had been bad mistakes (like leading the lion to the den), but they'd been overcome eventually. Now they would go one forever.

For they were the champions. They'd kept on fighting to the end. Globalsoft, with all their mighty gadgets, were the losers now. The winners were those who had had their share of sand kicked in their face. Now they ruled the world! Planet Mall was theirs!

And so, the world gathered to listen to the holy text in its entirety. From the mind of the dreamer came the completion of everything they had worked for, unlocked by the power of living rock.

"Mama" he sang, "just killed a man.

Put a gun against his head

Pulled my trigger, now he's dead

Mama life had juts begun

But now I've gone and thrown it all away

Mama ooh

Didn't mean to make you cry

If I'm not back again this time tomorrow

Carry on, carry on

As if nothing ever matters

Too late my time has come

Send shivers down my spine

Body's aching all the time

Goodbye ev'rybody I've got to go

Gotta leave you all behind and face the truth

Mama ooh

(Any way the wind blows)

I don't wanna die

I sometimes wish I'd never been born at all..."

So vivid was the message that the audience could almost see the long-haired one himself performing with the dreamer. Dressed all in white, from head to toe, his music soared above the crowd. Guitar held aloft; it was as if he was calling to the assembled masses.

"Gaze on the power of rock" he called, "Make it your own"

And so Planet Mall complied. As one voice, they arose and joined in the chorus. Where the words came from nobody knew, but somehow the whole world knew them at that moment:

"I see a little silhouetto of a man Scaramouche

Scaramouche will you do the Fandango

Thunderbolt and lightning

Very very fright'ning me

Galileo Galileo Galileo

Galileo Figaro

Magnifico-o-o-o

I'm just a poor boy

Nobody loves me

He's just a poor boy from a poor family

Spare him his life from this monstrosity

Easy come easy go

Will you let me go

Bismillah! No!

We will not let you go

Let him go

Bismillah!

We will not

Let him go

We will not let you go

Let me go

Never never never never

Let me go-o-o-o

No no no no no no no

Oh mama mia mama mia

Mama mia let me go

Beelezebub has a devil put aside for me

For me, for me!

Once more the world erupted into joyful dancing. Newly made instruments were taken up as everyone vented out their anger in music.

"So you think you can stone me and spit in my eye" sang Galileo. "So you think you can love me and leave me to die...

Oh baby

Can't do that to me baby

Just gotta get out

Just gotta get right outta here"

And then all attention returned to the dreamer once more. Shocked by his outburst the world became silent, allowing his voice to be heard above the stillness:

"Ooh Ooh yeah

Nothing really matters

Anyone can see

Nothing really matters

Nothing really matters to me

Any way the wind blows"

The song over, the crowd drifted away to find their new place in the world. Finally only Scaramouche and Galileo remained.

"Nothing really matters to me" he sang once more, to himself this time, before accepting her outstretched hand.

Together they disappeared into the night, leaving only the memory of his voice:

"Anyway the wind blows..."


	37. Appendix

Appendix: Another One Gone

Craig glared at his final victim. Once he had believed she had loved him, but now he knew the truth. She had used him, abused him and left him when he was down.

As living rock had flooded the system, his memory had returned once more. He remembered the friends that he had been forced to send to the Seven Seas, but most of all he knew the secret histories.

He could never forget the way she had wiped his mind for her own purposes, destroyed his soul for the sake of the company. He would have rather dies than become hers once upon a time.

Well, now she would feel the wrath of the Bohemians at his own hands. Gazing at her body, already partly destroyed by the music, he placed on the cap of obliteration. And then, with a smile, he sent Killer Queen to the Seven Seas of Rhye.


End file.
